Hundreds of flood-hit homes still empty (From Witney Gazette)

Hundreds of flood-hit homes still empty

8:40am Monday 14th January 2008 in Witney By David Horne

MORE than 260 homes in west Oxfordshire are still unoccupied six months after last summer's floods.

Some families are living in caravans while work is being carried out to repair their homes.

The figure, revealed in the district council's interim report into the floods, published yesterday, is believed to be the tip of the iceberg, with many more householders in Oxford and the Vale of White Horse still waiting for repairs to be done.

Among the recommendations in the report is urgent action to clear drainage ditches, with blockages last July being blamed for much of the flooding that affected more than 1,600 homes in the district.

Yesterday, council workers Robert Walerowicz, Steve Painter and Sam Taylor were clearing ditches alongside the A4095 at North Leigh Common as part of a programme to deal with those the council is responsible for.

Landowners are to be contacted and told to clear ditches and watercourses on their properties.

The report said 268 homes in the district were still uninhabitable, with all occupiers exempt from council tax until they return, costing an estimated £150,000 in lost revenue.

The number of empty homes was collated from tax returns to provide up-to-date information for the report.

Oxford City Council spokesman Chris Lee said it was unable to give an accurate figure of how many people were still out of their homes.

John Kelly, the county's emergency planning officer, said that in Earl Street, Oxford, alone, only eight homes had been reoccupied so far.

He added: "Some councils are having difficulty in getting a precise picture, because people have not reported their situation to their insurers or local housing authority."