LIVES will be saved thanks to a new £17,500 lottery-funded boat stationed at Upton.

Mercia Inshore Search and Res-cue (MISAR) chairman Dave Walker said the 16-feet long Norwegian-built craft was virtually indestructible and a step above inflatable boats widely used by rescue teams. It boasts a drop-down ramp, making it accessible for disabled or elderly people.

"The boat is a superb piece of equipment but the bottom line is that it is going to save lives," he said. "It gives us a wonderful addition to the rescue fleet at a time when there are lots more disabled people going out on the water."

The boat has been purchased using a £25,000 award from the Big Lottery Fund's reaching communities programme. The remainder has been spent on further swift water' training, so MISAR's voluntary crew members are able to tackle the toughest conditions.

The boat is due to arrive in the next month but Mr Walker said it would have come in useful this week, with Upton again at the mercy of the River Severn.

The Environment Agency was called into action to once again erect flood barriers along the waterfront on Monday evening, as water began to make its way towards Lower High Street.

"There is more water yet to come but we're hoping these barriers are largely just a precaution," said Mr Walker. "When you look at what is happening nationally, it appears that we have been lucky here for once.

"If the forecasts before the weekend had come true then the Jazz Festival would have been a complete wash-out and the situation with the river could have been a lot more serious."