FIRE and rescue officers battled through freezing conditions and fast flowing water as part of their flood rescue training yesterday.

The officers, based in Kidlington, plunged into the swollen Windrush in Minster Lovell to learn how to rescue people in case of flooding.

Watch manager Gary Crone said: “This was routine training but we were making the best of the existing conditions with water levels being high.”

Two flood warnings remain in force across the county, with water levels remaining dangerously high.

According to the Met Office, flooding is expected in the River Thames tributaries at Wolvercote and from Buscot Wick to Shifford. There were also 17 flood alerts in place.

Water levels were predicted to rise slowly and householders were warned that homes close to the river were at risk of flooding.

Lower Street in Islip remained closed yesterday because of flooding, while Oatlands Road recreation ground in West Oxford remains underwater.

The Met Office has also said people could wake up to a snowy landscape on Saturday, but warned the wintry weather was unlikely to last.

Snow is predicted to fall on high ground between 9am and 6pm, although it is unlikely to settle and could quickly be washed away by heavy rain.

Temperatures will plummet to 2C, with wind speeds of up to 11mph.