Floods hit Oxfordshire for second day after heavy rainfall batters region

Banbury United Football Club was completely flooded following heavy rainfall. Credit: Cotswold Drone Pilots

Households and businesses in Oxfordshire have been battling flooding for a second day, after more than a months' rainfall fell in parts of the region.

It follows an amber warning for significant rainfall by the Met Office, which warned of significant disruption.

Parts of the UK saw more than the monthly average rainfall on Monday, with the wettest place – South Newington in Oxfordshire – seeing 111.4mm, over twice the average amount, according to the Met Office.

In villages, such as Wheatley in Oxfordshire, people scrambled to protect their homes, as more than a month's rain, 96.8mm, fell in just 12 hours. The average monthly rainfall for September is 60mm.

Pictures show flash flooding hit many parts of Oxfordshire, among the worst hit areas were Thame, Yarnton and Kidlington.

Banbury United Football Club's stadium was also hit by flash flooding, with drone images captured by Cotswold Drone Pilots showing the extent of the water.


Watch: Drone footage captured by Cotswold Drone Pilots shows Banbury United's stadium covered in water.


In Kidlington, residents have come together to try and clean up following the flash flooding.

Mary-Ella Tuppeney-Hockney and her neighbours have today been trying to pump out the water that is left behind.

Her home has been ruined by the floodwater, and now she's not sure what can be saved. She said: "Absolutely devastated. This has been my family home since I was one. So, you know, nearly 40 years, 37 years.

"Um, so yeah, everything in there is... it has culminated to this point, and it's now all just ruined. It's just absolutely ruined in there.

"I've got a little girl who's disabled as well, and she likes to be at home. That's her home, you know, that's her safe place. So I've just taken her to, to school, to a special school.

"I'm hoping she'll get a bit of relief there for a little while but, while I sort the house out."


Watch: Mary-Ella Tuppeney-Hockney tells ITV Meridian about the damage to her home.


In Yarnton, they tried their best to stop the water, but in the end it was too much.

Marsha Rowland said she and her neighbours tried to keep the water at bay using pumps.

For a time, it was working, but in the end the sheer volume overwhelmed them, and they admitted defeat.

It's the first time in her 28 years of living there that the water got inside the house. She said: "Everybody started rallying together, got the pumps going, started pumping out. We were on it for 16 hours and it beat us at 1230 last night.

"It came into the house first time ever in 28 years. It didn't necessarily all come through the doors. It was coming up through the floors.

"It was coming up, um, through the walls and yeah, we just had to say, do you know what, there's nothing else we can do.

"So we got a few hours sleep, maybe a few hours, and then back up at it this morning."


Watch: Marsha Rowland told ITV Meridian the community did their best to stop the water, but there was just too much.


A respite from the heavy rain is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday but on Thursday a yellow warning, indicating heavy rain could cause some disruption, has been issued.

Oli Claydon, spokesman for the Met Office, said that Tuesday is going to be much drier, but there will be some rain in northern Scotland which will move south throughout the day.

He said: “Through the week, temperatures will be feeling colder, temperatures in Scotland could stay in single figures.

“We could see air frost overnight tonight in some rural areas of southern Scotland.”

There will be some showers on Wednesday morning in southern England but the rest of the day will be “largely fine”, he added.

Temperatures are then expected to drop to below average on Friday across the UK.


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