According to the Environment Agency, several areas in the country recorded highest rainfall levels since records began. The largest daily total, 126.2mm was recorded at Brize Norton in West Oxfordshire on Friday July 20th. The previous record at that location was 79.5mm in 1968.

Well that was some day that was!

The Evenlode at Charlbury Railway Station

The road bridge over the river Evenlode at Charlbury was swamped as waters rose to dramatic levels, flooding the nearby cricket pavilion and ground.

The situation on Thursday morning (26th July) seems to be:

Since Friday more than 800 homes in Oxfordshire have been flooded. The Environment Agency is deploying pumps and continuing to monitor water levels every 15 minutes. Flooding has also brought more trouble to roads with Abingdon Road closing shortly before midnight on Tuesday for a second time in days. South Central Ambulance has evacuated or rescued more than 200 people during the floods and remains on high alert. An 18-year-old man was taken to hospital yesterday after his car hit a bridge and dropped in to the River Ray near Charlton-on-Otmoor. His condition today was unknown. About 30 airmen from RAF Brize Norton delivered thousands of sandbags around the county. According to the Environment Agency, the river levels over the past 24 hours are similar to the levels that caused floods in Oxford in 2003.  Severe flood warnings remain in place on the River Ock and tributaries, Eynsham Lock and Sandford on Thames.

Yesterday about 250 homes in Oxford were flooded, forcing dozens of people to take refuge at a rescue centre. Water levels are expected to remain at the same level today in Oxford, Abingdon and Wallingford. The Environment Agency, said: "The waters are not going to go away. The waters may fluctuate over time but the levels will remain high.

The floods first struck homes in Earl Street, off Botley Road, on Tuesday night, closely followed by Osney Island. Water continued to rise and yesterday afternoon both ends of South Street were cordoned off.

About 70 per cent of the people firefighters tried to evacuate chose to stay in their homes - despite the rapidly rising water. Homes in Botley Road also lost power. There were fears up to 5,500 homes and hospitals in Oxford would be blacked out, after firefighters spent a third day yesterday pumping water from an electricity sub-station in Ferry Hinksey Road, Osney.

ROADS & BUSES IN OXFORD
Two of the main roads in to the city, Botley and Abingdon Roads, are closed.
The roads affected by flooding are Botley Road, in the vicinity of Osney, East Street, West Street, South Street, Bridge Street, Riverside Road and Earl Street. . Oxford Bus Company said its services were diverting around Botley Road so passengers could be picked up and dropped off in Botley. It also said there are no buses connecting the Seacourt park and ride car park into Oxford city centre. But the Express service to London and the Airline services to Heathrow and Gatwick are running as normal.

OXFORD RAIL
FLOOD water on the tracks at Kennington means train services between Oxford and Didcot remain suspended until further notice. Rail services from Oxford are disrupted by flooding again today. Trains between Oxford and Didcot will be suspended for a fourth day, with the route now not expected to reopen until Saturday at the earliest, once flood water on the tracks at Kennington and Hinksey recedes. Replacement bus services linking the two stations will continue to operate, as will a special timetable between Didcot, Reading and London. Passengers can also travel to and from London using FGW tickets on Chiltern Railways services, travelling via Banbury. Emergency timetables remain in force for First Great Western trains between Oxford and Bicester Town and Oxford and Banbury, along with an hourly Virgin CrossCountry service linking Oxford and Banbury with Leamington Spa and Birmingham.

COTSWOLD LINE

The Cotswold Line between Oxford and Worcester will be closed into August for repairs to flood damage. FGW is operating replacement road transport from stations on the line. FGW has announced a package of compensation for passengers whose journeys have been affected by the disruption following last Friday's torrential downpours and the ensuing flooding. Special arrangements have been made to provide alternative road transport for passengers from stations along the Cotswold Line, which will be closed until Monday, August 6, at the earliest, due to flood damage on the route, which links Oxford with Worcester. These are as follows: Between Charlbury, Combe and Oxford, passengers can travel on the 20A Stagecoach Oxfordshire bus service using their rail tickets.Taxis will be provided from Charlbury direct to Didcot Parkway station at 6.20am and 6.47am and a coach at 9.15am. Taxis will be provided from Kingham direct to Didcot at 6.08am and 6.37am

RH's X8 service is not serving Kingham railway station due to the closure of the Cotswold Line but continues to operate between Chipping Norton, Kingham village, Churchill and Bledington at normal times.

WATER WATER EVERYWHERE
Chippy resident Oliver Herrin was out with his camera on Saturday. The top row shows two views of the fields around Kingham Station. Bottom  left is further along the Bledington Road and bottom right are marquees in the flooded garden at the Kingham Mill Hotel

HILARY BILES REPORTS FROM THE FRONTLINE

MONDAY'S RUBBISH & RECYCLING COLLECTION DELAYED FOR A WEEK!

 LITTLEJOHN GETS THE BOOT IN

W

Before jetting off on his latest publicity stunt, Cameron was photographed wading through the flood waters on his own doorstep. Let's hope he wasn't wearing his trendy, recycled trainers, otherwise they'd have been ruined. CMD's place right now is here in Britain, in his own constituency. He should have been touring the manor in a beaten-up Land Rover, feeling people's pain and dispensing mulligatawny soup and cheese sandwiches, accompanied by Mrs Dave in aristocratic, frayed Barbour jacket, Laura Ashley frock and green wellies. He should be out there digging drainage ditches in Oxfordshire, not digging latrines in Rwanda. A bit of noblesse oblige might not have gone amiss.

Of course, it wouldn't have made the slightest difference - any more than Gordon Brown flying over the afflicted areas in a helicopter. But it would have conveyed a sense of getting his priorities right. If there was one time when it wouldn't have done Cameron any harm to behave like an old-fashioned Tory toff, this was it.

In an interview before he left for Africa, CMD said there could be no going back on his crusade for compassionate Conservatism. OK, old son, we get it. We've seen the pushbike, the windmill, the team of huskies. How about extending a bit of compassion to those you expect to vote for you next time

As far as Middle England is concerned, it's not the lack of clean drinking water in Rwanda which is top of their concerns, it's lack of clean drinking water in Tewksbury. Civil war in Africa is terrible, but it's civil war in the Conservative Party which is CMD's immediate problem. He won't have endeared himself to those who should be his natural supporters by disappearing off to Kigali while Much Binding-in-the-Marsh disappeared under six feet of water.

The freak floods weren't anyone's fault, but the fallout was. Cameron should have been on his hind legs, on every TV and radio station, asking awkward questions of the Government.  He could have asked Gordon Brown why he gave �8billion in overseas aid to Africa while at the same time slashing millions off Britain's flood defences. He might have attacked the wisdom of hiring thousands of superfluous 'climate change' officers while emergency planning for a genuine natural disaster has been woefully neglected.

That's what a serious Leader of the Opposition would have done - consoled the victims and doled out a bit of high-profile, practical help, while simultaneously holding the Government to account. In the middle of a national crisis, he shouldn't go missing, giving the impression that he cares more about Africa than his own backyard. The time for stunts is over. Call Me Dave has to decide whether he wants to be Prime Minister or a rich man's Bob Geldof.

Oxfordshire County Council is currently in discussions with the Red Cross on how to allocate funds in the city and other parts of the county after five-days of flooding. And last night civic leaders issued an appeal for every one to dig deep and contribute what they could. Scores have been evacuated from their homes in Abingdon and Oxford and are currently holed up in temporary accommodation.

County council chairman Liz Brighouse said:  "We recognise that however hard we work, the floods have caused huge distress - and in some cases loss - to a large number of people and their problems are likely to continue for some time after the water levels have subsided. There are many in the community who want to do their bit to help those who have been badly affected and we feel supporting a national appeal fund is the best way of helping them to do that. Donations are vital at this stage but we have also received numerous offers of help from volunteers which we will need to co-ordinate over the coming few days and weeks"

Donations can be made by calling or at www.redcross.org.uk.

Praise for flood-hit residents and businesses

Barry Norton, Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, has praised residents and businesses for their community spirit during the flooding that devastated the District.

 Cllr Norton has thanked residents, businesses, volunteers, staff and the Emergency Services for pulling together after Oxfordshire was hit by severe weather on Friday (July 20) and over the weekend.

 Cllr Norton said: �It has been staggering how many people and organisations have supported those residents and businesses affected by the floods. At a local level, Parish and District Councillors have worked with village clubs and organisations, and local businesses to help out in whatever way they could. Many of the people not directly affected have also given assistance to those in greater need. In some villages and towns, residents have worked alongside the Emergency Services and Council staff.  There has been an amazing community spirit during this extremely challenging time. The last few days have brought some unprecedented weather and flooding on a scale not seen in West Oxfordshire for many years. Work has started on the recovery stage and we are working closely with the County Council and other partners to co-ordinate efforts in an attempt to return to normality as soon as possible.�

 He added: �I would also like to thank the local and regional media, especially the BBC Oxford radio station and the Oxford Mail Group, for keeping residents informed during what has proved to be a constantly-changing and very worrying time.�

YOU ALL DONE GOOD - AND THAT'S OFFICIAL!

The county council's Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police and the emergency council teams have found people's responses enormously helpful. There has been stoicism, practicality and selflessness in abundance from all sections of our community - a great example of true British spirit!

We also want to compliment the incredible and dedicated professionalism of staff from every single one of the agencies - including the media - who have combined to form a cohesive team that has worked so hard to deal with the problems. There have been many examples of outstanding teamwork and commitment, of which we should all be proud. A large number of our staff have worked shifts of many, many hours with very little sleep or time for a break - and they have done this without a second thought, even though some of them have been personally affected by flooding in their homes. It has been a traumatic time for all of us.

However, we are confident that the strength shown by so many people in recent days will do much to bring about our recovery.

JOANNA SIMONS, Chief Executive, Oxfordshire County Council. SARA THORNTON, Chief Constable, Thames Valley Police. CLIVE BAYNES, Acting Chief Executive, Cherwell District Council. DAVID NEUDEGG, Chief Executive, West Oxfordshire District Council TERRY STOCK, Chief Executive, Vale of White Horse District Council. BRIAN DINSDALE, Acting Chief Executive, Oxford City Council. DAVID BUCKLE, Chief Executive, South Oxfordshire District Council
 

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE.....IS IT ANY WONDER THE DRAINS DON'T WORK

Our five star County Council strikes again. It warns us that if there are floods we needn't count on them for help. But they don't seem to have made even the most obvious preparations. For the amount of council tax we pay we have a right to expect regular maintenance of our gutters gullies and drains. If you know of a blocked drain report it to the Guildhall (Ian )  The pictures were taken on Sunday at Southcombe by Councillor Greenwell who lets fly in the Forum with his further thoughts ...............

I fully appreciate that we can report blocked drains to the "one stop shop" but frankly as Gerry says for the amount of council tax we pay the District and County should have an obligation to put proper routine maintenance in place. The weeds in the photographs are growing through the grating covers on the road drains on the main A44. They are not recent they have been growing there for at least a couple of years and the only thing that has stopped them becoming quite large bushes and trees is that they are crushed periodically by passing lorries. I had considered cutting them and sending them as a bouquet to our county councillor who I am sure would appreciate the gesture as a splendid example of the 'value for money' that we get. When I was a child the drains in the area where I lived were emptied regularly by a local authority "sludge gulper". Now services like that seem to have vanished! No doubt there are more important things to spend our county council tax on though, for the life of me, I can't think what it is being spent on in Chippy. We (The Chipping Norton Town Council) have had to pay to have the Youth Centre (a County Council responsibility) open for an additional night (allegedly), we have been told if we want a pedestrian crossing before 2009 we (the Town Council) will have to contribute - �12,500, We get no action on air quality or reducing the number of HGVs going through the town centre and if you look into the areas for future housing development in the town you come to the conclusion that the County Council will realise a very substantial amount when they are developed; Chipping Norton is being used as a crock of gold to be exploited with very little return for the town. So let them anticipate those gains; spend some of this money now and give us what we urgently need ! The pedestrian crossings, the drains maintained and cleaned regularly, a youth centre that is open every night and action to keep "heavies" out of the town. Our County and District Councillors (unlike Town Councillors) are 'paid' for the roles they carry out so lets see some real value for our money. Lets see them actively campaigning for these things every meeting every month.  KEITH GREENWELL

Chippy FIREFIGHTERS IN FLOODED SHIPTON
Thanks to Hilary Biles for the picture
 

Stories are still emerging from the weekend of the Floods. None more striking than the contribution the Firefighters from Chippy made in flood-stricken Shipton under Wychwood.  They arrived on Friday afternoon and Hilary says they were "magnificent". The most difficult job seems to have been the evacuation of some 30 elderly residents of a Care Home caught in the rising flood waters was. One crew were trapped overnight in the town and only managed to get back to the station in Chippy late on Saturday morning.