THE River Severn at Upton will be the venue for a two-day summer rowing regatta.

Upton Rowing Club is holding the event for the first time in July.

Club secretary Ros Adams believes the regatta will be a good occasion for the club and the town.

"It's a huge commitment on our part but it should be a great event," she said.

"We're certainly hoping to attract clubs from the West Midlands and maybe further afield."

The club planned the regatta after deciding not to hold its annual head of the river race this year.

The popular race is traditionally held in early January but has been cancelled due to bad weather for the past three years.

Club chairman John Dean said the race was not being held this year to avoid another disappointment and that its long-term future was yet to be decided.

"We've had fog, high winds and all sorts of bad weather in recent years," he said.

"We thought we might get a plague of locusts this year!"

The regatta will be held on Saturday, July 29, with a sprint event for local novice crews and beginners on Sunday, July 30.

The head-to-head format of the regatta differs from the heads of the river event, where crews are individually timed.

Mr Dean hopes the event will be well supported and successful.

"It will be a different kind of event and we don't know just how big it will be until we have received all the entries," he said.

Peter Webb, of Upton Tourism and Trade Association, said he would meet with the rowing club to discuss their plans for the event.