UPTON-upon-Severn for once escaped the worst as Worcestershire was hit by a week of flood chaos.

The riverside town, usually one of the first in the county to flood and one of the hardest hit, stayed above water despite the river Severn peaking at more than five metres – only just short of the levels experienced during the devastating 2007 summer floods.

But this time Upton had added protection in the form of a new £4.5 million flood defence scheme completed by the Environment Agency just a few months ago.

Flood gates at the bottom of New Street were closed and kept water away from properties and businesses there while on the Waterside the river was kept at bay by a new glass-topped flood wall.

Simon Speers, chairman of Upton Flood Forum, which lobbied fiercely for the defences to be built, said they had proved themselves a real asset for the town.

“Anything above five metres is a big flood, even by Upton’s standards.

This is the first fullyfledged test of our new defences and they have passed with flying colours,”

he said.

“Without the defences Upton would have been in a dismal state this weekend.

“All the pubs on the riverfront would have been closed and things would have been very difficult for people in New Street.”

While Upton’s defences passed their first real test it was a different story along the river in Kempsey.

About 30 people had to be evacuated from their homes in the early hours of Sunday morning after a flood defence pump failed.

Hot drinks and shelter were offered at the community centre while Environment Agency engineers rushed to repair the pump.

By noon the floodwaters had mostly receded but not before 15 homes in the Church Street area had succumbed to the rapidly rising waters.

Colin Stronach, of Church Street, was woken by his neighbours at about 4am and within 15 minutes water was coming into his home.

At its peak it rose nearly a foot inside his house, leaving him with ruined electrical appliances, kitchen equipment and furnishings.

“We’ve lived here 18 years and this is the third flood we’ve had, but we had hoped that after the defences were put in place, this would be the last one,” he said. An independent investigation has been launched to find out why pumping failed in Kempsey and Anthony Perry, flood risk manager for the Environment Agency, said he was “upset and disappointed” at the failure.

Across the county roads were closed and public transported disrupted throughout the week.

Flooding occurred on the A4103 at Bransford and the B4211 Hanley Road on the way into Upton, while trains running between Great Malvern and Upton were disrupted on Sunday by flooding at Evesham.

Roads and bridges were closed around Pershore and Evesham and in Worcester Hylton Road was closed as drains overflowed.

As floodwaters recede, drivers are being warned that potholes could be the next problem blighting the roads.

With temperatures set to plunge below freezing this weekend, Worcestershire County Council has warned that wet roads could be the “perfect recipe” for creating craters.