FLOODS which forced hundreds of people to leave their homes last month were a freak of nature which could not have been predicted, experts said.

A public meeting attended by 200 people in Kidlington last night was told authorities were simply caught out by the amount of water which gushed through properties in the village over the Easter weekend after the River Cherwell burst its banks during heavy rain.

More than 350 people in Banbury and Kidlington had to flee their homes when up to 3ft of water swamped their gardens and downstairs rooms over Easter.

Yesterday, many of the people affected came along to the meeting at Exeter Hall to ask the Environment Agency, British Waterways and Cherwell District Council questions.

Residents, angry that their homes suffered, criticised the authorities for not warning them quickly enough and also accused them of opening floodgates up-stream from the village in a bid to stop flooding in Oxford.

But Roger Powling, of the Environment Agency, defended its response, saying it did not think Kidlington would be so badly hit. He said the rain which caused the flooding fell in the higher stretches of the River Cherwell and did not drain away before reaching the village.

He said: "There was a vast quantity of water and normally the soil would be dry so it would seep away. However, there had been a lot of heavy rain and the soil was wet. It did not run off and instead caused the flooding.

"There wasn't a sufficient amount of rainfall in this part of the world for us to think there would be a problem and we were not aware that Kidlington was at risk. None of the areas affected were known to have flooded previously.

"This was a very extreme case and we have never experienced anything like this before. Although at the time we issued flood warnings and let the fire brigade know, we do not have the resources to go from house-to-house warning everyone."

Simon Ainley, of British Waterways, which looks after the Oxford Canal, said there was no question of Kidlington having been sacrificed to stop Oxford from flooding.

He said: "There has been talk of us opening big floodgates like the Thames Barrier to let the water gush away and down into Kidlington but that is not possible. There is just not the opportunity. "We only have eight small flood paddles to let water drain away if the canal holds too much water but they are puny and could not control or divert the flow of water on this occasion in any way at all."

One woman, Mrs Diana Hall, of Cherwell Avenue, said she was angry compensation could be paid to people who had lost household possessions and were uninsured. She said: "I am a responsible householder who paid for house insurance. If it is to be paid shouldn't it be paid to all those that are affected?"

The meeting was chaired by parish council leader Catherine Arakalian, who said she was pleased with the way it went.

She said: "It was very orderly and people made their feelings very clear to the officers.

"The floods did not know any parish boundaries and we want to make sure everyone affected knows that steps are being made to help them."

An inquiry into the floods has been set up by the Environment Agency, and a report on the flooding will be published in September.

Thirty families washed out by the floods have received goods totalling £18,000, donated by Cherwell District Council, Oxfordshire County Council, charities and Comet and Allied Carpets.

Grahame Handley, chief executive of the district council, collected £1,000-worth of goods from Comet in Botley Road, Oxford, yesterday.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.