WORCESTERSHIRE is being warned to brace itself for more rain and possible flooding, with the wet and unsettled weather set to continue to batter the county.

With further rain forecast today and tomorrow and ground in many places already saturated, the Environment Agency (EA) has placed the river Severn in Worcestershire on flood alert.

Water levels in Worcester reached three metres yesterday and are expected to peak between 4.1 to 4.6 metres on Saturday.

At Diglis water levels were 2.57 metres and rising and expected to peak between 3.8 and 4.3 metres on Saturday afternoon.

While widespread flooding is not predicted at this time, the EA has warned that low-lying farmland along the rivers Severn and Avon could be affected.

Flood barriers were put up in Bewdley yesterday while Upton-upon-Severn’s flood gate in New Street was closed for the second time in a month as waters continued to rise.

Meanwhile, Croome Court, near Upton, was forced to close its doors due to flooding just after 3pm yesterday due to flooding, but it is hoping to be open again today.

To date, Hereford and Worcester fire and rescue crews have only been called to a handful of incidents, involving properties flooding near Ross-on-Wye. Station commander Alan Haley is urging people to stay alert and vigilant to the risk of floods at homes and on the roads.

“Driving through flood water can be extremely dangerous because it is impossible to see how deep the water is or whether there are hazards under the water which could damage your car and leave you stranded,” he said.

“Please do not take risks. You could be putting your car, yourself and others in danger by doing so.”

The AA was expecting to attend up to 14,000 call-outs across the country yesterday, compared with about 9,500 on an average Thursday.

More than 200 of those calls were to assist cars stuck in floodwater.