The Abingdon Herald appeared today with five pages of flood pictures.

There has also been the national coverage:

On Tuesay the Daily Telegraph said ‘The Thames in Abingdon, Oxon, rose 3ft in less than 12 hours to a “perilously high” level’

In the Independent yesterday ‘There was an apocalyptic feeling in the town of Abingdon …’

There are still sandbags in the centre of town, some way above the current level of the river. But town people know there is the third town centre river to consider: the River Stert. It runs through an old culvert, and might run awry if pushed back by a high River Thames. Earlier, it too broke its banks upstream.

The River Thames is still high today. Water was washing back up the River Ock towards St. Helens Mill – one of the first places to be evacuated at the weekend.

Last weekend the Ock was full of foam and fury. But not now it flows calmly, draining its flood plain.

The River Thames is also expected to go down in the next couple of days.

This Environment Agency Map will need to be redrawn. It is the map people are shown when doing local area searches before moving house. The River Ock reached further than places shown as ‘extreme flood’ on this map, in areas such as: Ock Street, Spring Road, Marcham Road, Mill Road, Wordsworth Road, Coleridge Road, and all round the Ladygrove Estate. Fortuneately, the Thames and Stert did not get to their pale blue extremes.

The trouble is the pattern could be different next time. So the instant reaction is to improve the River Ock defences. Perhaps the re-built Wilts and Berks canal could act as a drainage channel from the Ock to other farmland and the Thames. Who knows? But what if next time a flash flood causes more problems from the River Stert?

Many of the houses on the Ladygrove Estate have a pile of soggy carpets in the garden.

Not just soggy carpets, but electrical appliances, sofas, cupboards…

As Anonymous commented yesterday ‘…the sun was out today and the water had receeded a great deal – the ock was now obeying the rules and sticking to it’s own course, leaving behind just a few pools of water to soak into the ground. however, on my walk through I could see many people piling up former possessions in black bags, and the high water marks were all too visible on the houses. the very thought of being flooded out is surreal but for the last 3 nights I had fully expected it. at least I know that my home was safe from some of the worst flooding ever…‘

The army continue to fill sand-bags, and the Vale District Council brought round some more sand-bags today to these people in Francis Little Drive, on Ladygrove. The driver first said it was a precaution.

One woman said “You’re not lieing to us are you. I’ve heard the radio warnings.”

He said, “I can’t say for sure, but you can probably store them away in your garage for next time they’re needed.”

There has been a more relaxed feel. The emergency services are no longer on high alert. The River Thames is still just as high, but it seems predictable now – not the great unknown.

The path to the weir has been washed away and cordoned off since yesterday. Here, perhaps, is a use for those left over sandbags.

The flood has NOT helped Abingdon Town Football Club’s pitch or floodlight controls, but it has made it a better place to take pictures.

Abingdon Vale cricket club were having a good season until this happened. Still, I’m sure they’ll bounce back.

But will everybody who has been flooded bounce back so easily? One lady had only just moved back to her former town Abingdon, after loosing her husband. As she sat, as an evacuee, in the Guildhall – she said ‘ I may have made a big mistake.’

St Helens Church looks safe at 7 AM this morning, looking down towards the slipway.

The water level has gone up, perhaps 10 or 12 inches since yesterday morning.

Looking back to St Helens Wharf, from Margaret Brown Garden, water laps over the wall at this point. But it looks like Abingdon has escaped the worst case scenario (40 roads flooded). Visible in this picture, the Old Anchor Inn (flooded on Sunday by the River Ock) has escaped a second flooding – just.

So what next? The River Thames is likely to stay at or near this high level for the next day or so. Flood defences are remaining in place as a precaution because the Environment Agency say there remains the possibility of another ‘surge.’