This morning, the heavy rain from Friday along the River Ock valley had flooded the Tesco car park and access roads.

This store was closed, and shop workers were sent home.

Part of the new Premier Inn car park has also flooded, but the building is above the water.

The water also approached the gardens and houses of the Ladygrove estate.

This picture was taken at around noon today, near the peak. People were still checking the water level, hoping there would be no repeat of 2007.

There had been a dramatic rise in water levels overnight, which peaked at around noon. (Thanks to the EA monitoring station https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/station/7081).

Thankyou to Daniel for some more drone flood pictures from January. Two are of the River Ock, showing the water getting close to the houses on the Ladygrove Estate and Tesco. The other is of the River Thames.

In parliament yesterday (24th Feb 2021), Layla Moran, the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, got the opportunity to debate with a Minister of the Environment the issue of flooding in Oxford and Abingdon. This was done as an adjournment debate.

Layla pointed out that Oxford West and Abingdon has historically flooded, and in most recent times devastatingly so in 2007 and again, notably, in 2014. Layla said she raised this question again because she felt little progress had been made since an earlier debate with a previous minister. She mentioned delays in the Oxford flood alleviation scheme which could be delayed by up to five years because of bridge works that need to be completed in Kennington.

Regarding Abingdon, she said her constituents worried about a repeat of 2007. She said the scheme for a flood storage area upstream of Abingdon on the River Ock had been investigated but for crude cost reasons was not deemed viable. She said residents went from having a scheme to suddenly not having one at all. She said ‘We are not spending enough on communities like Abingdon. If the Minister stands by the calculations, will she at the very least ask the Environment Agency to help draw up new plans for what can be done in Abingdon that it can afford?’

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Rebecca Pow, started by saying what the government are doing nationally about flooding – spending more in the new 2021 to 2027 investment programme.

She said she was mindful of the challenges that the town of Abingdon has faced, and faces, and particularly the flooding experience of 2007, when more than 400 homes were flooded by the River Ock. Over recent years, the Environment Agency has taken action to reduce flooding in Abingdon, including increased levels of river maintenance, the provision of a flood wall along St Helen’s Mill, and a robust deployment plan for temporary defences, should they be needed.

In 2018, the Environment Agency investigated the development of a flood storage area upstream of Abingdon on the River Ock. The investigations found that while a flood storage area was technically feasible, the benefits would not be much greater than those delivered by the Environment Agency’s routine river maintenance. It did not represent value for money to the taxpayer.

She said the Environment Agency is reviewing further suggestions from a local community flood group, called the Ock Valley Flood Group. It is looking at whether there is scope for a temporary flood barrier alignment to be made into a permanent defence, and the agency is gathering evidence on whether this would be technically and economically viable.

The Environment Agency have also been investigating whether natural flood management options would be effective in reducing flood risk in Abingdon.

The full debate is at https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-02-24/debates/58D02CC8-5626-4FE3-902A-CD4B44920CFD/OxfordWestAndAbingdonFlooding

The Ock Valley Walk is largely under water because of the floods.

People living near Chaunterell Waya have been putting sticks in the ground to track the high water mark of the River Ock. The water is going down again after peaking last night. The houses are above the floods.

Tesco is also above water even though one of the roads is flooded.

The footpath from Chaunterell Way to Tesco is under the waves that are sweeping through surrounding trees.

Meanwhile the level of the River Thames has been rising but at a slower rate.

The splash pad is the only thing currently above water in the splash pad area in the Abbey Meadows.

Abingdon Weir and Abingdon Lock can be reached with caution from the Abbey Meadows, but you cannot go far when you get to the other side.

The Environment Agency have graphs to show the water levels at https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/station/7081 and https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/station/7073?direction=d.

There has been a lot of rain over the last three days. Ditches are full to overflowing and country roads have large puddles.

I went out for an early morning walk with the sky showing shades of pink. The River Thames floodplain is again flooded – as seen above at the Abbey Vale Cricket ground.
Rye Farm Meadow is flooded round the houses and cottages by Abingdon Bridge.

At the Abbey Meadow there were two other people taking pictures of the sun rising over the flooded landscape. One I know puts very good pictures on Facebook.

There was thin ice on the fringes of the floodwater.

The sun rising over the horizon was reflected in the water.

The early sunlight gilded the wall near the open air pool.

P.S. Richard says ‘I was walking down peep-o-day lane on Wednesday 27th January and found a hearing aid there , I have been trying to get it back to its owner through walking groups I know. would you be able to put something on your blog to help with this’ Email backstreet60@gmail.com and I will forward to Richard.