THOUSANDS of homes in Oxfordshire at risk of flooding are to be added to the Environment Agency’s flood warning service.

The free warning will be provided for the county’s 17,000 homes and businesses that lie on flood plains. Currently only about 5,100 homes receive the alert, which warns home owners of possible flooding with a phone call, email or text message.

The agency’s move to automatically sign up more homes and businesses in Oxfordshire is part of a project to add 130,000 homes in the Thames region.

It is able to get people’s landlines under the Civil Contingencies Act.

Thames region flood risk manager Peter Quarmby said: “Last November’s devastating events in Cumbria remind us of the dangers of flooding and how being prepared is crucial.

“Despite the many thousands of homes that are protected, many properties are still at risk from the River Thames and its tributaries, with thousands of homes and businesses in the flood plain.

“We urge everyone to check whether their property is at risk by visiting the Environment Agency’s website and taking steps to prepare, such as looking at ways to make properties more resistant to floods.

“By automatically signing up around 130,000 homes and businesses across the densely populated Thames region, we will more than double the number on our system, giving more people vital time to get prepared for flooding, protecting lives and property.”

The Environment Agency is sending letters out next week to all homes and businesses which are to be signed up.

Subscribers can choose to opt out of the service.

The extension of its warning service was one of the key recommendations from the independent Pitt Review into the 2007 floods.

Nick Hills, 61, of Earl Street, Botley, who has had his home flooded three times since 2000, said: “It cannot do any harm – and if you want to opt out you are free to do so. I’m surprised at how few people in Oxfordshire are signed up.”

bellery@oxfordmail.co.uk To find out if you are at risk of flooding and to sign up to the service, visit the website environment-agency.gov.uk or call 0845 9881188.