Victim 'frazzled' as county battles floods

A man whose property has flooded for the second time in recent months has said he is "frazzled" and "frustrated" as widespread flooding hits Oxfordshire.

Keith Underwood's property on Dart Drive, in Didcot, has been left partially submerged following Storm Bert.

Oxfordshire County Council said schools in many areas, including Banbury, East Hanney and Abingdon, had been affected by floodwater.

The Mill Arts Centre in Banbury has also been heavily impacted by the weather, having only re-opened fully in October after flood damage earlier this year.

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued 22 flood warnings across the county with people urged to prepare after river levels rose sharply overnight.

Kidlington, Steventon, Sutton Courtny, Abingdon, Witney, Carterton and Banbury are among the areas affected.

Many roads remain impassable and Great Western Railway (GWR) is advising passengers to check its website before they travel on several key routes through Oxfordshire.

Mr Underwood, whose house was flooded during heavy downpours in September, said: "We've been in rented accommodation for about a fortnight, and in about a weeks time we should've got the green light [to move back home] because it would have dried out."

He said he and his wife were now "back to square one" after their property flooded again early this morning, leaving him "frazzled".

"The only good news is there's nothing else damaged, because there's nothing left to be damaged on the ground floor," he said.

He added: "I've gone from being nonplussed, transitioned through anger and spitting feathers to now thinking I'm now fired up to have a fight [with the relevant authorities]."

Meanwhile at the opposite end of the county, The Mill Arts Centre in Banbury has been forced to close until Wednesday due to the flooding.

In a statement, the venue said: "Like many in the local area, we have unfortunately been affected by the recent flooding."

"All activities taking place in the building today and tomorrow will be cancelled."

It added that affected ticket holders would be contacted, and that the situation would be "assessed" when the water levels receded.

The auditorium at the venue was forced to shut in February after flooding caused damage to the stage and floor.

While repair work took place, the theatre relocated its performances to the indoor bowls facility at Woodgreen Leisure Centre.

It reopened fully at the start of October.

The Tesco Extra store in Abingdon, which was heavily affected during other downpours earlier this year, has also been forced to close due to the rising water levels.

Earlier in the day, councillor Liam Walker, deputy leader of the Conservative Group at Oxfordshire County Council, said: "Storm Bert has given us a bit of a battering.

"Roads in a lot of places that were under water have never been under water before."

He said rising water levels also led to a number of residents in Witney having to leave their homes on Sunday.

Yellow warnings for wind and rain were in place across the south over the weekend, with dozens of events cancelled because of the weather conditions.

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