Flooding caused traffic chaos around Malvern this week as two lanes were closed on one of the area’s busiest roads causing long delays.

A 70-year-old man was rescued from his home in Hanley Castle by firefighters and beer bottles were spotted floating like ducklings in flood water in Upton.

Motorists faced two-hour delays on Wednesday evening as flooding on the A449 at Powick led to a contraflow being put in place, with two-way lights near Cromwell’s.

The partial closure led traffic to back up onto Upton Road, Old Malvern Road, Temeside Way and Townsend Way.

By Thursday morning, two lanes had reopened.

A pensioner and his carer had to be rescued from a property in Mill Lane, Hanley Castle, on Tuesday (January 2) after flood water entered the property.

Both were relocated to a nearby hotel.

A spokesperson for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said: "A HWFR crew from Upton-upon-Severn was called at 5.19pm on January 2 to assist an ambulance at a house in Mill Lane, Hanley Castle.

"With water starting to access the property, a man in his 70s was evacuated, along with his carer, and relocated to a nearby hotel.”

Hanley Road and New Street in Upton upon Severn have been closed this week due to flooding.

Unfortunately for residents, the sight of flooded roads is far from an unusual one - the town was also affected as recently as October.

But hundreds of beer bottles floating around in the flood water did prove a little more unusual.

The bottles had been left next to bottle banks in Hanley Road car park, but started bobbing around as the flood waters crept onto the car park.

District councillor Jeremy Owenson said they looked “like little ducklings” but also raised concerns over the serious environmental impact they could have.

Alex Bill, head of operational services at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “We are aware of the situation regarding the accumulation of bottles in flood water in Hanley Road car park.”

The river Severn at Dunns Lane in Upton was expected to peak this morning (Thursday) at 5.4m to 5.5m.

Three flood warnings were in place in the town at Dunns Lane, East Waterside, Hanley Road, Hanley Castle and Rectory Road.