AFTER a decidedly soggy Christmas, people in Worcestershire are to get a brief respite from the bad weather this weekend before the rain returns in time for next week.

Flooding and bad weather have caused days of disruption across Worcestershire throughout the week, with the rivers Severn and Avon breaking their banks on Monday, December 23 and levels continuing the rise throughout Christmas Eve – when more than 30 trees were felled by high winds – and Christmas Day.

One man out for an early Christmas morning walk with his dog at Worcester’s Pitchcroft racecourse had to be rescued by firefighters after he and his pet became stranded in floodwater at about 7.30am and an elderly man also had to be saved from Ford Lane, Droitwich, after his car became trapped in water at about 9.50am on Christmas Eve.

Another man in a mobility scooter became stranded on the river Side pathway, near Evesham Rowing Club in Abbey Park, at about 10.45am on Boxing Day and had to be rescued be firefighters.

Paul Michaelwaite from Pershore-based forecasters netweather.tv said the weekend was likely to be fairly dry but this would not last long.

“The weekend is looking a bit calmer, if a bit chilly, but not too much,” he said.

“It’s a good chance to get out and look at the sales.

“But from late on Sunday its back into wet and windy weather and it’s going to be fairly unsettled as we move towards the New Year.”

He said it was difficult to say if there would be more flooding in the county but residents should be prepared for further disruption.

“There’s always that risk as there will be some rain and there rivers are already at high levels,” he said.

Disruption continued today as fallen trees blocked Barbourne Terrace in Worcester and the junction of Tibberton Road and Clarence Road during the morning while a power cable at Upton marina had to be cut after rain caused it to begin to spark at about 12.30am, although no homes or businesses lost power as a result.

Although the Worcestershire County Cricket Club’s ground at New Road was underwater as normal, the city’s new Premier Inn on the site looked to have survived its first flood but the golf range in nearby Lower Wick was forced to close today after becoming waterlogged.

Environment Agency flood warnings advising residents to take immediate action are still in place for the River Severn at Pitchcroft and Diglis. Although levels had began to fall slowly the organisation warned the river was likely to remain high for a number of days due to rain overnight between Thursday and Friday.

Warnings also remained in place for the River Severn at Upton – where the town’s new flood gates were closed on Tuesday morning to protect homes and businesses – and Hanley Castle as well as Kempsey and Callow End, which reached its highest level of 6.65 metres on Wednesday.

Warnings for the River Avon at Evesham, Pershore and the surrounding area were removed yesterday after levels fell.

For the latest weather forecast and updates on flooding across the county, keep an eye of the Worcester News website.