BLOCKED drains and a 'failure' to dredge the River Severn did not help to bring about flooding in the city, say the county council and Environment Agency.

Heavy rain last week and the end of last month saw two separate episodes of flooding in and around Worcester, with the latter seeing city river levels rise to their highest since 2014.

Numerous roads were closed, including in the city centre, and communities became temporarily cut off while the emergency services worked round the clock to save people from stranded cars and flooded homes and businesses.

However, the idea that the chaos was accelerated by apparent blocked drains and neglecting the rivers, has been flatly denied.

We previously reported that the flooding on Martley Road on October 26, for example, had been the result of the adjacent brook having burst its banks. However, a resident has since told us he was told it was actually due to blocked drains being overloaded.

A council spokesman said the authority has a "continuing programme of clearance and drainage systems" across the county which are always in operation.

"The recent floods were a result of heavy rain and surface water build up, not blocked drains," they continued.

"During the autumn and winter drains do become filled with fallen leaves and debris."

They urged anyone who identifies such a problem to contact the council directly "so we can respond and clear as necessary".

While a spokesman for the Environment Agency said the River Severn is "dynamic and continuously transports deposits large amounts of sediment".

"Dredging would have to be done continuously and on a large scale to have any effect. It would also need to be carried out as far downstream as Gloucester.

"It is not a practical, or sustainable, way to reduce flood risk for people and property on this river.

They added: "Dredging of the River Severn would have very minimal benefit to prevent people and property from being affected by flooding."