TRADERS were left mopping up the mess when the town was flooded by torrential rain.

Saturday staff were closing up at 5.30pm when tides of water flooded the W H Smith store, in Victoria Square.

Supervisor Tracey Stanley said: "Water was three inches deep and left the carpet like sponge."

She said damage to stock was minimal but part of the shop closed on Tuesday while water was removed from the carpet.

Tracey added: "The drains could not cope."

The Railway Inn, on Kidderminster Road, was also hit by the stormy weather.

Owner Martin Leslie said within three or four minutes water rose to six inches in the pub's cellar.

Knowing that the homes of elderly residents in Hampton Road are often flooded during heavy rain he rushed to check.

"In one house water gushed in like a waterfall," said the 32-year-old.

"Most of the furniture had been moved so I went outside to control traffic on the road because it was severely flooded."

Beaver Bureau employee, in High Street, Tina Clarke was shocked yesterday when she arrived to find the floor and her paperwork soaked.

Droitwich Spa Firefighters received six calls in one hour following the downpour.

Leading firefighter Boris Borkowski said: "These are properly the worst floods we've had this year."

A Worcestershire County Council spokeswoman said: "We are responsible for roads surfaces and gullies.

"A maintenance contractor was depl-oyed and worked until 11pm carrying out emergency rep-airs, cleaning gullies and erecting emergency signs.

"We endeavour to complete further repairs as soon as possible."

A Severn Trent Water spokeswoman said: "We attended a number of calls in Droitwich over the weekend in response to heavy flooding which overloaded the drain and sewerage system."