The latest flooding situation – Abingdon on Thames Town Council

Updated Monday 10th February 2014

Following recent heavy rain, with more forecast, there is renewed concern regarding the potential for flooding in Abingdon. A Flood Warning has this evening been issued for the River Thames in Abingdon and there is a Flood Alert the River Ock from Watchfield to Abingdon. The warnings may be accessed by clicking here.

To sign up for flood warnings please click here

The District Council along with the County Council co-ordinate the local response to problems caused by flooding, including the supply of sandbags if necessary. Click here to reach the relevant section of the District Council website

The District Council have also advised:

Important telephone numbers:

if you’re in a life threatening situation then please dial the emergency services on 999
if it is a none urgent call then please call the emergency service on 101
to report flooding from a sewer please call Thames Water on 0845 9200 800 or visit Thames Water’s Sewer Flooding page
if you are concerned about a vulnerable person please call the county council’s emergency duty team on 0800 833 408.

Information about sandbags:

important – the council can not guarantee the supply of sandbags to any premises, so residents and property owners are strongly advised to make their own arrangements to protect their property, particularly if they live in a flood plain or if they know their property is susceptible to flooding

a limited amount of sandbags are available from the car park by the Abingdon Town Council offices, Old Abbey House, in Abbey Close, Abingdon (please note this new location)

crews are working very hard to maintain sandbag stock levels, however please be aware that demand is very high with bags often going as soon as deliveries are made
please only take the number of sandbags that are genuinely required to cover external doorways

if you have already collected sandbags please keep hold of them for the foreseeable future

for a helpful guide on how to build an effective sand bag wall please see this YouTube video.

Travel and transport:

for a list of roads which are closed as a result of flooding please see Oxfordshire County Council’s flooding update page
you can get live service updates, including SMS text alerts, from Oxfordshire bus companies atwww.oxontime.com. Please also see the Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach Oxfordshire and Thames Travel websites for updates on flooding-related disruption to bus services. Follow the Twitter feeds for the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach Oxfordshire via @OxfordBusCo and @Stagecoach_Ox

as a result of flooding to railway lines First Great Western services are currently disrupted and special arrangements are in place – for information please see the latest updates on First Great Western’s website and follow them on Twitter via @fgw. Please also check rail departures on the National Rail live departure board

check rail departures from the National Rail live departure board
check the county council’s live travel information and listen for updates on local radio.

The Town Council has been assisting the District Council and residents in affected properties with the moving and delivery of sandbags and remain on standby for action. It is monitoring the effects of flooding on Town Council facilities and for safety reasons the Margaret Brown Gardens and the Ock Valley Walk remain closed until further notice.

Updates will follow as necessary.

Updated: 10th February 2014, 7.35 pm. Information correct as at that date and time,