RESIDENTS and workers in Abingdon were bailing out water yesterday, amid concerns about rising water levels. The River Thames in Abingdon remained on a flood warning last night, while the River Ock overflowed into neighbouring gardens.

In St Helen’s Wharf, employees at West Waddy ADP had to bail out their offices yesterday afternoon.

Architect Ralph Saull said: “We got our flood barrier up but not before the water came in.

“It came in at around nine this morning, and it has risen about 10 millimetres since then, in two hours.”

South Hinksey resident Roxanne Ledru, 47, said she woke up yesterday morning to find the ground floor of her home covered in dirty floodwater. She said: “My dog isn’t usually allowed upstairs but I woke up to find him very scared at the bottom of my bed. “I didn’t even realise at first my house was flooded. It has come over the top of my wellies now, that is the amount of dirty water in my home.”

Ms Ledru, who only moved into her Manor Road cottage two months ago, said she had no electricity or heating.

She said: “My neighbours warned me about the flooding but I didn’t believe it would be this bad. “They have been really good with helping – there is a real sense of community.”

She said three of her neighbours in the village had installed flood defence systems in their homes after the 2007 floods.

Manor Road resident Maria Banks said her experiences during the 2007 floods left her determined not to see a repeat of the problems. She said: “We live on floodplains here and it flooded completely, starting about two days ago.”

In Kennington, council workers built a sandbag barrier in Kennington Road to protect nearby properties at risk of flooding.

In Abingdon, the River Ock burst its banks and flooded the gardens of houses in St Helen’s Court, many of which are on stilts.

Graham Bird owns West St Helen’s Mill House which is on the Ock, and which was almost flooded in 2007.

He said yesterday: “We just hope it is not going to rain again.

“I think the river has gone up about six inches just since last night.”

In 2007, the flow of the river caused damage to the banks of the river, which collapsed two years later, and Mr Bird said as the landowner he had to spend £10,000 to repair it.

Both bridges at Culham were closed as was Tollgate Road in Culham, from junction A415 to the High Street.

Jonathan and Patricia Brown, who live in the village, said they had never seen the river so high.

 

MORE FLOODING NEWS IN BRIEF

  • BANBURY escaped further flooding yesterday as water moved downstream on the Cherwell to Oxford, the Environment Agency said. People with tickets for The Mill Arts Centre – which has closed due to flooding – are being contacted, Oxfordshire County Council said.
    For information email rosalind.templeman@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
    The centre is expected to reopen on Tuesday.
     
  • Cherwell District Council yesterday reopened its car parks and Spiceball North and Spiceball Park Road. Banbury MP Sir Tony Baldry said the town owes council and agency bosses “a great debt” after new flood defence works, pictured above, protected firms and 400 homes.