Major city road flooded after more rain

A key city road flooded after two rivers burst their banks has been temporarily closed for the second time this year.

Abingdon Road in Oxford was cordoned off early on Wednesday after the Thames and Cherwell overflowed following Storm Conall but motorists continued to drive through flood water.

As of late on Wednesday morning, there were 15 flood warnings in place for Berkshire and Oxfordshire and another 23 flood alerts.

A Great Western Railway (GWR) spokesperson said more rail services were running since major disruption on Monday and they should continue to increase through the week.

Flood warnings remain in place along the River Thames at Shiplake, Lower Shiplake and Wargrave, at Purley, Dorchester, Culham and Abingdon.

They are also in place along the River Cherwell at Lower Heyford and Oxford, along the River Ock in Abingdon and along the River Ray in Islip.

In Berkshire, flood alerts remain in place for the River Kennet and its tributaries from Berwick Bassett down to Newbury, and along the same river from Thatcham to Reading.

The deputy leader of Oxford City Council, Anna Railton, said the response of some road users who drove through flood waters on Abingdon Road despite warnings was “super disappointing”.

It was closed in January after severe flooding in the wake of Storm Henk.

“One of the things we learned from [previous flooding in] January was the closure of Abingdon Road had to be managed way better. So it’s frustrating to see that is not the case again.

“I’m pretty sad that so many people are driving through what is clearly a police road closure in both directions.”

Oxfordshire County Council, which manages the road, said it was closed “for a short time” on Wednesday morning so water could be pumped away.

The authority said the bus gate in High Street is not being enforced temporarily so road users can use it as an alternative to Abingdon Road.

An Abingdon Road resident, who did not want to be named, said her home had not been flooded – but that she worried about the impact of the flooding on the sewage system.

“I am very surprised and there are big lorries coming down and people don’t seem to be slowing down very much. They don’t seem aware of the wash they are making across the houses,” she told BBC Radio Oxford.

“We haven’t flooded yet. [Flood water] does not come in from the road but the danger is through the toilets and the drainage system but it gets higher and higher each time and this is the fastest I’ve seen it rising.”

Paul Gentleman, from GWR, said: “The picture’s certainly improved from what it was on Monday morning. It continues to improve and hopefully we will get that last bit of the line back tomorrow or Friday.”

Services at Newbury station were delayed after sewage covered a platform after a water main burst.

It had already been hit by flooding from Storm Bert at the weekend, which meant fewer trains could use the station.

Services between Swindon and Bristol Parkway remain shut so trains from Reading to South Wales are being diverted onto an alternative route, Mr Gentleman said.

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