At lunchtime today there were a lot of interested people out with cameras and smart phones recording the floods.
Thanks to Kevin who sent me two images … The view towards Barton Fields …
and water flowing over the path near Abingdon Weir.
The level of the River Thames has leveled off at St Helen’s Wharf near the top of the letter O on the Iron Bridge. It was there at lunchtime and had not moved a few hours later.
Water is roaring downstream, towards Culham, and buffeting the boats tied up on the Wilsham Road railings, but at St Helens Wharf the water is gently washing over the pavement.
Waiting for a bus yesterday evening talking to a lady (she was in the X3/X13 queue, her husband rang her all the council staff (Binmen/drivers etc) were being recalled, to sandbag Abingdon, major breaching. (In Oxford despite barriers/flood barriers some idiots are still trying to drive through the back streets along Abingdon Road). Botley Road is being used to pump water so is blockaded from Oxford end (rail station) down to McDonalds at the bottom.
Am I the only one who thinks it’ll get worse in Abingdon as more flood defences are built in Oxford and Kennigton? the water now can;t get on the old flood plains so is being pushed to us – until we shout loud enough to get flood defences and push it further downstream.
If the authorities concerned would make a concerted effort to look at the overall problem rather than just put up barriers and short term solutions. Then this might never happen. Look after the rivers and streams, clear drains and culverts, rather than forget about them. this is the end result. With Politicians it’s a all about how much its going to cost. Not about how its going to benefit the wider community.
I don’t remember oxford flooding quite so badly EVERY year it I remember it flooding the fields nr Kennington once many years back. Now its an annual occurrence,
Anyone remember when the flooding was national news we had all the news crews from all over the country on the bridge? Now look at it doesn’t get mentioned much.
The only sensible solution is to dredge the rivers to make them deeper, otherwise you are just pushing the problem downstream into somebody else’s house. It may be time-consuming to dredge a river but it ain’t rocket science! I hear that down in Somerset, as the government/councils are refusing to do anything, that locals have started dredging the rivers themselves.
Has our council done any dredging since the major floods back in 2007? The Ock looks just the same to me.
I shot some video by the river this morning. Your readers might be interested.
http://vimeo.com/83668742
At least the flood-plain is doing its job. If we build too close to it, we can’t complain if our houses get wet feet.
In the meantime, my daughter in Canada reports temperatures of minus 51C. I’m glad to be in the temperate UK – even with the floods…
Jacko – Exactly what I’ve been saying for a long time now. You can spend fortunes on flood defence, go on and on about flood plains etc but surely the obvious answer is to get out there and dredge? OK the river is the responsibility of the environment agency or river authority or whoever but cant the local authorities that have river frontage work together and slowly but surely get it sorted? It would also help if land owners were pushed to maintain ditches. Once upon a time it was normal winter work for a farm labourer and it could only benefit them in the long run.
Logger/Jacko – sounds like a soultion. However…to put this into context…a few articles down on this blog there is a report regarding how the various “people in charge” (I guess this means councils or council departments) have been unable to relocate some wheely bins on Bridge Street!
I fear….you ask the impossible!
I saw an interview on the TV during last years floods that said dredging has been dismissed as an option not because of cost (although the sceptic in me always has trouble with that statement) but because it would adversely affect use of the river when water levels return to normal.
The argument seems to be that you would put the river out of use for transport, recreation and abstraction as all equipment/docks/steps/access ramps are geared towards current levels.
Chris you another doppelganger.. ?:)
I think I’m Chris the 4th!
maybe we should put out initial after our names so no one slags us all off at the same time..
Dredging seems a good idea, but John E pointed out a few days back that it simply sends the problem downstream. That might produce a kind of domino effect. I don’t think Londoners would like to pay for dredging the river where they are.
We have a flood plain; it floods – that’s what it’s for…
Perhaps the Drayton Road development plan will include uprated drainage with no side-effects. Or perhaps not!
PPJS,
Like I said in previous post.. If everyone would pull their fingers out something might get done. Councils, Environ agency etc. But I feel were P***ing in the wind frankly.
There was something in the oxford mail today about improving flood relief in Oxford.
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/10922890.Bid_is_to_be_made_to_build___160m_flood_relief_channel/
Great but no one mentions what would be the knock on effect in Abingdon? I feel all that would do is push Oxfords problem on to US. So dredge and be damned. Oxford doesn’t care about its neighbour. Why should we worry too much about London. it never seems to worry about us.