THE fire brigade have been praised for their efforts evacuating Powick residents from their flooded homes in the early hours of Wednesday.

Firefighters returned yesterday to talk to devastated homeowners about what had happened and offer help and advice.

Dougie Austin, who opened the Red Lion pub so people had somewhere to shelter, said: "Three fire engines came out and did an excellent job but all they could really do was to make sure all the flooded properties were clear."

Fire service spokesman Alec Mackie said crews had been in big demand. "We had people on call throughout the night and called in an extra crew in Worcester as we knew it was going to be busy."