A town council said it was speeding up its work on an emergency response plan as it prepared for potentially more impacts from Storm Jocelyn.

In Wallingford, Storm Henk and Storm Isha and heavy prolonged rainfall saw riverside areas submerged while spectators gathered to watch the River Thames rush under the bridge.

However, town mayor Dan Beauchamp said that most residents who live by the river were fully prepared with sandbags and flood gates and most homes are actually low flood risk.

He said: “I think compared to the weather a few weeks ago, which was out of keeping, storms do not tend to create massive disruption in the town.

“If you look at Wallingford most of it is actually up quite a steep slope up from the river so the vast majority of the town isn’t exposed to it.

“There are obviously parts down by the river where the cars were pictured submerged in the car park but that is a flood plain.

"Most of the town is elevated.”

Mr Beauchamp said he was not aware of any properties being flooded but some houses near the river did have to be pumped out.

But, he said, the recent storms have spurred on work on an Emergency Response Plan which was already under way.

He said: “It was something we were starting to look at before the storms but we are getting together a working group and getting in touch with the community. And we are starting to advertise the fact that we are doing that it in the local magazine.

“We are asking anyone who has a skillset that would be useful in an emergency to get in touch."

He said the plan would be developed in consultation with Oxfordshire County Council and other councils and would in no way replace the emergency services.

“It’s one of the best things about the town, the community spirit," he said. "In good times or bad times the community does really come together so we just want to put a bit of structure around that.”

Mr Beauchamp said he personally was unaffected by the storms.

“My bins blew over but my brother who lives in Glasgow had a tree blow down in his garden so we were comparing pictures.”

However, one pub did find itself impacted by the storms.

The Boat House in High Street only reopened last week after a 12-day closure after water rose to the front steps of the pub.

The flooring throughout the pub was damaged and has been replaced.

A Greene King spokesperson said: “We can’t wait to open again. We have worked hard to keep any disruption to a minimum and make sure our pub is warm and welcoming for our customers.”

Wallingford MP David Johnstone said the flooding in Wallingford and across the constituency has been "hugely damaging".

He said: "I have been pushing Oxfordshire County Council about the measures they can take to prevent flooding - as they have responsibility for this - and have been in contact with the Environment Agency throughout and will be meeting with them to discuss the flooding, our flood defences and how we can prevent flooding on this scale from occurring again."

He urged anyone affected to apply for the Government support available to help people recover which includes £500 for flooded households in eligible affected areas while households and businesses significantly affected will be eligible for 100 per cent council tax and business rates relief for at least three months.

This support will be provided through local councils. 

He added: "If you have any issues either with accessing support or want to share your experiences of the floods with me to raise with the Environment Agency, then do email me."

Meanwhile Oxfordshire county councillor for Wallingford Dr Pete Sudbury said emergency teams had done "an extremely good job given the unpredictability of the weather, which is a reflection of the Atlantic’s temperature being the highest since records began.

“The county council is now working to see how we tackle this going forward such as with drainage, changing use of farm land and working with partners.”

And Wallingford Town Council said water meadows had 'done their job' and the sight of water discharging into the street was keeping properties safe.

Oxfordshire County Council leads the flood response work for the county.

A spokesperson said that the boundaries of warnings relating to Storm Jocelyn were much further north than Wallingford "but the county council is always on a state of alert for weather-related issues whether in Wallingford or elsewhere in the county".