Nobody is bringing their boat through Abingdon Lock today.

The River Thames has flooded, swamping the fields and meadows on the opposite bank from Abingdon.

Somebody I know got a call to suggest they move their car from Abingdon Marina. It was standing in a couple of inches of water.

I am not sure whether moving it, at such a late stage of the floods, was a good idea. The road to Abingdon Marina was a lot deeper.

Boat owners, anxious about the safety of their craft, take extra measures to keep them safe.

Otherwise it can be disastrous.

The latest Environment Agency update on the River Ock says “Property flooding is not currently expected. River levels remain high but continue to fall on the River Ock and Letcombe Brook following recent rainfall. Therefore, the risk of flooding is currently reducing. From this evening (18/12/19), through tomorrow 19/12/19, Friday 20/12/19 and the weekend, we are expecting heavy, persistent showers across the area. We therefore expect river levels to rise further over the coming days and into the early part of next week. We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are operating weirs to reduce flood risk and are in the area clearing weed/trash screens.”

Tesco cannot be reached along the Ock Path from Mill Road.

Nor can Tesco be reached on the path from Chaunterell Way.

There was an Environment Agency van parked near Tesco monitoring the situation.

There is normally a height difference at this River Ock weir, where the river is divided into two streams, but today there was no waterfall.

The water level of the River Ock in Abingdon has been high over the last couple of days and looks to be going down.

A rubbish bin is surrounded by water in the Abbey Meadow as the water level of the River Thames gets higher with the Abingdon Weir gates wide open.

There have been pictures on this blog of boats that have come to grief during floods. There are three narrow boats moored between Abingdon Lock and Abingdon Bridge. Two have long ropes.

The third is moored next to the lock entrance.

On Saturday the water had risen over the banks in various places over this stretch of Rye Farm Meadow.

By Sunday the Thames Path at Rye Farm Meadow was only passable with extreme care.

The Vale of White Horse District Council agreed last week to put £68,075 towards Natural Flood Management upstream on the River Ock.

Natural Flood Management aims is to hold back flood water so that important settlements, like Abingdon, do not get it all at once. The Environment Agency will be able to use the money to employ a project manager to work with land owners along the River Ock catchment. They will identify natural ways to slow down the flow of flood water after a big downpour. This could involve tree planting so the ground can absorb more water, or allowing the river to meander naturally so the water has further to travel.

Presumably this is just the first payment. Once measures have been identified, more money will be needed.

The picture shows the River Ock flowing through Abingdon earlier today.