A residents' group set up to campaign for flood relief action in Oxford has won a victory after the Environment Agency agreed to fix two well publicised pinchpoints south of the city.

In April the Oxford Flood Alliance pitched its three point plan to the agency for unblocking the Redbridge area, which is seen as key for allowing floodwater to drain more quickly out of the city.

Now the Environment Agency has revealed to the Oxford Mail that work will begin to unblock two of the pinch points in the autumn.

The pinch-points will be tackled as part of a £1.8m package of flood alleviation measures and comes in addition to the £50,000 relief project currently underway to clear out mud and silt from a stream near Redbridge Hollow, off the Old Abingdon Road.

However there is still uncertainty that the third pinch-point in north Kennington, which is seen as the most important by the OFA, will be cured.

Geoff Bell, the Environment Agency's area flood risk manager, told the Oxford Mail: "We have got the go-ahead to spend the £1.8m and we've agreed that two locations in OFA's plan are definitely pinch-points and could be removed at a reasonable and sensible cost.

"Work on those points will definitely be going ahead this autumn.

"The third requires more analysis work and that's what we are doing now. It's potentially very expensive and we won't get approval unless we can demonstrate and prove the analysis has been properly carried out and will bring results."

The agency will have an onsite meeting with the OFA and land owners Network Rail to discuss the third pinch-point on Monday, June 23.

It is believed removing the three pinch-points will allow flood water trapped in Oxford to spill into the Kennington flood plain and into the River Thames, also reducing the risk of flooding on the Oxford to London railway line.

OFA member Peter Rawcliffe said: "We're pleased with the news but more still needs to be done. What is to be done in north Kennington is still unclear and being the most downstream it is absolutely vital it is dealt with, or measures further up are of very limited use."

"OFA will be working to try to ensure not only that this happens but that is happens as soon as possible."

OFA member Andy Webber said: "Residents should be reassured that things are happening. We only ever see negative news on flooding but things are happening. I'm really positive about the steps being taken by the EA and I think everybody should be."