A NEW flood warning system was launched by the Environment Agency this week.

Intended to be clearer than the old yellow, amber, red alerts, the new warnings come in four stages: Flood Watch, Flood Warning, Severe Flood Warning and All Clear.

Flood Watch is an early warning of the possibility of flooding from all watercourses in a general area, on one or more rivers, towns or even counties.

Flood warning team leader Steve Branchett said each warning would be accompanied by more information.

For example, the full Flood Warning message for the Upton area would indicate that the River Severn was expected to flood property at Upton and Kempsey, together with the Malvern road, B4211.

It is equivalent to the old amber warning and indicates the probability of flooding of homes, businesses and main roads in a specific area.

Severe Flood Warning means large numbers of properties are expected to flood, with imminent danger to life and property.

All Clear messages will be issued when river levels are returning to normal and warnings are no longer in force. When possible, the agency aims to give a minimum of two hours warning, based on weather forecasts and an extensive river flow measuring network.

In Upton, flood wardens and people in vulnerable properties receive automatic telephone warnings.

Others should call the Environment Agency on 01684 850951, or Floodline on 0845 988 1188. For quick access to the relevant information on Floodline, the code for Upton is 052 323.