VILLAGERS in Severn Stoke are among those anxiously waiting for river levels to peak again, following the recent deluge.

The River Severn is set to peak on Wednesday but is not expected to cause major problems for Worcester with levels not thought to reach the same height as Christmas day.

Another band of rain is expected over Wales tonight which is expected to result in river levels rising through Worcester, Upton and Bewdley.

Dave Throup from the Environment Agency said: “The Severn throughout Worcester is still very high and fairly stable.

"It’s dropping very slightly in Worcester and Upton but we expect it to go up now in the next two or three days.

“At the moment we think it will be just slightly lower then when it peaked on Christmas day. We expect it to go somewhere close to that level.

“There will be some roads closed and some difficulty getting about the riverside. I don’t think there will be major problems for Worcester.”

Mr Throup added that despite an unfortunate few properties being flooded on the East Water Side, in Upton, the new £4.5million permanent flood defences were holding fast.

“The defences are protecting around 60 houses and businesses,” he said. “They are performing very well.”

The River Teme also peaked this morning but did not cause any problems as there was not as much rainfall as first feared.