People rescued from village homes

The Hylton Road area of Worcester flooded

Twenty-five people, some of them elderly, have been rescued from flooded houses in a Worcestershire village after the River Teme burst its banks.

Fire crews were called just after 0200 BST to Powick and the A449 through the village has been closed.

Flooding has also caused rush-hour chaos in Worcester after flood barriers were not erected along Hylton Road.

The Environment Agency said raising the barriers would have caused the same level of traffic disruption as floods.

A spokesman said no property had been damaged on Hylton Road, which is near the city centre.

Roads closed

In Powick, some of those rescued were put up in a village pub overnight.

Thousands of acres of farmland are now flooded around the confluence of the Rivers Severn and Teme, with river levels still rising.

Farmland is flooded near the Rivers Teme and Severn. Pic. Andy Brown. Body found in flood victim search

Meanwhile, police looking for a motorist whose car was swept away by floodwaters have found a submerged vehicle and a body.

The search was launched after a man rang home to say he was being swept away by the floods near Pershore.

The A4103 at Bransford, by the Fox Inn, and the B4211 in Upton were also shut because of flood water.

A flood warning has remained in place on the River Teme from Bransford Bridge to Powick.

There were also flood warnings in place on Wednesday morning on the River Severn between Worcester and Tewkesbury, from Bevere to Powick including Worcester and from Tewkesbury to upstream of Gloucester.

Worcestershire County Cricket Club's Twenty20 match against Warwickshire on Wednesday has been called off because the New Road ground has been under water.

Friday's game against Northamptonshire and Sunday's encounter with Gloucestershire will go ahead at the Chester Road ground in Kidderminster.