Floods: A waiting game (From Witney Gazette)

Floods: A waiting game

6:53am Thursday 17th January 2008 in Headlines

ENVIRONMENT Agency officials were today closely monitoring the level of the River Thames through Oxford which remains on Flood Warning.

The Thames is on Flood Warning from Lechlade to Sandford with river levels expected to rise over the next 48 hours.

Officers have also said the Osney area could be flooded by Friday as the River Thames takes the strain from the heavy rain.

The Environment Agency is expecting similar levels of flooding to hit Oxford as the floods that hit the city in December 2000.

Hundreds of leaflets have been handed out warning people of the danger of flooding in the New Botley, Osney Island and Wolvercote areas of Oxford.

There are five flood warnings in the Thames region affecting the River Thames and River Cole in Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, and the River Ray and River Thame in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

A statement from the Environment Agency said: "The levels on the Thames will continue to slowly rise and we believe that properties in the Osney area could start to flood some time during the day on Friday."

No problems have been reported on the county's rail and bus services at the moment, however, First Great Western last night issued a warning that its train services may be affected in the next few days.

Roads closed due to flooding include:

• Ascott-under Wychwood: Shipton Road to Shipton-under-Wychwood; side road from the railway station level crossing to the A361
• Islip: Lower Street
• Cropredy: Williamscot Road
• Barford St Michael: the road to Barford St John
• South of Bampton, near Chimney: Great Brook Road
• A417 between West Challow (Mellors of Challow garage ) and Stanford in the Vale
• B4016 Drayton Road, Sutton Courtenay, near the Ginge Brook
• West Hanney: Denchworth Road.