Skip to content

New task force to help county prepare for flooding

Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service A white VW is partially submerged in floodwater - the water on the road resembles a river.Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service
In September, Oxfordshire fire crews were called to help motorists who had become stranded

A new task force which will help a county prepare for flooding has been set up after a number of storms devastated homes and businesses.

The Oxfordshire strategic flood risk group will help the county "get ahead of the game" and plan a joined-up response from multiple organisations.

Heavy rainfall from Storm Henk in January and Storm Bert in November caused major disruption to properties, roads and railways.

The idea for the team was cemented at a flooding summit held by Oxfordshire County Council.

Footage shows water levels rose after the River Ock in Abingdon burst its banks in September

Schools were shut, roads were submerged and trains were cancelled during the storms.

Flood warnings were issued across Oxfordshire on multiple occasions, with police, firefighters and council response teams stepping in to help residents tackle the deluges of water.

Parts of the county are still recovering from flooding in September, when some areas saw more than 100mm (4 inches) of rain fall in just two days, causing rivers to burst their banks and flood peoples' homes.

Some residents criticised the county council's general response to flooding, while others claimed some problems arose because drains had not been maintained properly.

A road in Abingdon submerged under several inches of water. At the edge of the water are benches and bins.
During Storm Henk in January, river levels rose and flooded streets in Abingdon

Dr Pete Sudbury, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said the county was moving from sporadic floods, every few years, to multiple sequential clusters of them.

"We need to try to get ahead of the game, or the economic and social losses from flooding are likely to spiral to an uncontrollable level," he said.

He added the county needed to prepare for the possibility of continuous flooding over an extended period.

"The rapid acceleration in extreme rainfall events means the traditional approaches focused around high-risk areas are no longer enough, and we need to shift very rapidly to a whole landscape approach."

A family of three walks through flooded water in their street, Chaunterell Way, there are homes in the background and a black van to the left of the frame, the dad is standing to the left, he has short hair and wears a black hoodie with a Puma logo on the right of his chest and a silver waterproof boiler suit. He is holding a woman's hand, she wears a khaki green woollen beanie hat with a khaki green fur bobble on top of it and a black parka coat and green wellie boots, she carries a baby in a baby carrier.
A family with a six-month-old baby was evacuated from their home in Chaunterell Way in September

From January, the new task force will be lead by Prof Robert Van de Noort CBE, former chair of the Thames Valley Flood and Coastal Committee.

"Floods will always occur, but the difference between a flood hazard and a flood disaster is in how we prepare for them and respond to them," he said.

The group will be the central point of liaison for local, regional and national flooding updates.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

More on flooding
Related Links