The level of the flood water has remained high over the last 48 hours, and the blue floodgate by St Helen’s Wharf is still needed. I don’t think either river got quite as high as last month but the spread of water over the flood plain is less predictable.
Water continues to pour under Maud Hale’s Bridge, and any other opening. Tomorrow’s match at Abingdon Town F.C has been called off as the pitch is under a foot or more of water.
The causeway to Culham has water on both sides.
There is a watery view back across the fields from the causeway to Abingdon School boathouse, the Marina, and Wilsham Road.
Along Wilsham Road there is still some way to go before the boats are at the same level as the cars.
But nobody is risking their car at the Marina car park at present. Water continues to pour through the gate with some force.
(More pictures on facebook where I created a page to hold surplus pictures.)
I tried to register on the Environment Agency (EA) internet site for a flood warning the other day and couldn’t. I rang them up and despite being circa 30 yards from the Ock a chatty chap from the EA told me that my house number was not at risk … amazing. The insurance companies should know.
I know backstreeter and patlon to be ‘community people’ who have ‘political affiliations’, but for whom ‘community’ is (actively) more important than ‘political affiliation’.
They’re both LibDims (they can’t help it), but good blokes. And there’s a ToryBoy who comments on this blog who’s turning out not to be a bad chap.
Abingdon needs more of these.
Why don’t people like this get together to sort out community insurance, community power bills, etc and leave behind the Tammany-Hall-Wastes-Of-Space who want to inhabit County and Higher Party Politics? These latter just live in their self-serving and inconsequential space.
Local knows best and it’s not tearing-up the market place to re-cobble it. A bit more money spent on flood ‘measures’ might have been more apt.
Party Politics … well … Trad is Bad.
Apologies, Backstreeter, I tripped onto the soapbox.
nb. I’ve noticed that a lot of people know your Secret Identity nowadays.
community insurance? – good luck getting the people not in the floodplain to share their insurance money with those in it.
i have to say though, with environment agency floodmaps just a click away, anyone who from now onwards chooses to buy a house in a floodplain must be bonkers.
naturally for those already there when such things were harder to find it’s another matter.
but when i next move, if a house is in such an area i wouldn’t touch it with a bargepole no matter how nice it is and no matter if it’s never had a trickle of flood within a mile.
Geographically, the whole Thames Valley is a floodplain. Instead of trying to overcome it (transferring the problem elsewhere), why not just accept Nature and plan/build accordingly ?
For Decades, there have been buildings around the Millstream Court area that stand on stilts. When the river rises, the flood water can pass underneath. A simple matter to park the car elsewhere now and again while watching the garden self-fertilise.
rudi,
I haven’t had a flood problem so I’m not speaking from bitter experience.
I’m just as cynical as you when it comes to general self-interest and agree the need for people to use a bit of uncommon-sense in life.
Perhaps ‘community’ was the wrong term when what I meant was self-interested people getting together to form a ‘critical mass’ which insurance companies (and the like) would take seriously. If some local politicians (or better … representatives) got together and facilitated this then they might be more worthy of our vote.
I just can’t take Party Political Blowhards seriously at the local level. Chancers all.
Re the first picture: the flood barrier has only been necessary since 60 East St Helen Street was taken over by Culham College Institute in 1980, and the extra door was put in to comply with fire regulations. The building was originally three mediaeval houses which presented a blank wall to the water rising over the slipway, and it was the same when the place was renovated by Mr Pryce the solicitor in 1901. Progress …
Insurance is a nightmare but you can contact Nicola Blackwood as your MP for more help and advice. She mentioned the flood insurance at the public meeting last month.
If anyone does have any problems with flood-water, just contact your local councillor as we have emergency numbers we can give you to call.
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