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).
The Spar convenience store at Marcham Road Service Station is going to be converted to an Asda On The Move. It won’t trouble Tesco but hopefully should provide a better offer for that unappealing store.
I think Tesco carpark last flooded in July 2007 (along with Ock Street, part of Spring Rd and Drayton Rd too)
If memory is correct, wasn’t the 2007 event down to some blocked drainage ditches? It’s fortunate that only the supermarket has really been affected this time, though know it’s entered some people’s back gardens near the Ock. Maybe water is being held back a little from the town’s more central streets now, as the Thames has been high as well.
Rumour has it that the 2007 floods were caused by water being pumped from a lake in the WI grounds at Marcham into the Ock. Its the worst we have had since then, but there are certainly far fewer meadow floods than there used to be before 2007.
My thoughts, and I’m not an expert, is that the water from the 2007 event was significantly higher than this event. There were problems, such as the water backing up at the Ock Bridge (on Drayton Road), which did not happen this time. The river could flow through the arches. There were the rumours Martin mentioned. People do tend to blame ditches for not being cleared. Clearing them probably makes a difference and could help prevent smaller events like this one from flooding houses, but I am not sure that could have stopped the 2007 flood of houses. See https://abingdonblog.co.uk/?p=1067
Many householders continue to hard pave their front gardens for car parking with the consequence that rainwater does not drain into the earth. Does this increase flood risk? I’m not sure.
Years pass and little changes. I believe that the previous flooding event was worse because more rain fell for longer, this event is a little concerning in that the Tesco carpark flooded so easily after a significant but still relatively small amount of rain in comparison to last time, it perhaps points to the fact that should an amount fall like last time things could actually be worse.
Whoever approved a planning application for a hotel in that location needs to be shot. Idiot.