HOMEOWNERS avoided ruined homes with barriers in place as flood waters rose across West Oxford.

A number of roads off Botley Road were affected by flood water, with some residents choosing to abandon their homes rather than face the risk of being stranded.

People living in Osney Court and Bullstake Close found themselves knee-deep in water outside their homes, while Binsey Lane was closed to traffic after the whole width of the road disappeared under water.

Osney Court resident Carly Perkins, 32, said her five children between the ages of four to 16 were going to stay at their grandparents.

She said: “You absolutely can’t fault the fire and rescue services. They took the kids out and even came back for some of our stuff. They have been brilliant.

“We are not flooded at the moment because the houses are raised up.”

Ms Perkin’s 12-year-old daughter Re-ne Smy said: “It is funny but annoying. I remember the last floods in 2007, though, and they were worse.”

In Bullstake Close off Botley Road, which suffered badly from flooding in 2007, residents had nothing but praise for the council workers who have been working in the area since Saturday in an effort to divert the waters away from homes.

Colin Howes, 74, said: “I wasn’t convinced the barriers were going to work but they have held their own. The men have been absolutely brilliant, we are so grateful.”

Det Sgt Maria Banks, of Thames Valley Police, took steps to avoid the damage the 2007 floods caused to her home. The 47-year-old said: “It was expensive, about £10,000 to £15,000 and I had to move out of my home for a year in 2008 when it was being installed because they had to strip my house back, but seeing the pumps working, pushing the water away has made it so worth it.

“Even my underfloor heating still works.

“A lot of the families with young children have evacuated and left.”

Some offices in Ferry Hinksey Road and Osney Mead had to clear water from their buildings after it seeped under sandbags.