In November, people living in Chaunterell Way and surrounding streets suffered the effects of floodwater inside and outside their houses after the River Ock burst its banks.

The floodwater poured across the field behind their homes, and the streets were filled for the third time in a year. Homes were also affected in January and September 2024.

Jim King, 82, who lives in Chaunterell Way, and has represented the Ock Valley Flood Group, complained that flood barriers, once tested by the Environment Agency to protect homes in the area, had been removed from a local depot and taken elsewhere.

Flood barriers in Abingdon. The Environment Agency then confessed that it no longer intended to deploy the barriers in the event that the River Ock burst its banks, and that there was no comprehensive flood plan in place to protect Abingdon households.

However, after conducting modelling studies based on flood episodes in 2024, the agency has determined that it will be possible to erect approximately 300 metres of metal barriers in fields behind residences in Chaunterell Way to protect approximately 30 properties in the street as well as homes on nearby Nash Drive.

Anna Burns, the agency’s Thames area director, and other workers went to the site on Wednesday to test the barriers.

She stated, “We learnt more about the hydrology from the three events and developed this mitigation plan. “We want to aid this neighbourhood; we don’t want them to flood.

We did not have the models in place to allow for this deployment.” When not in use, the barriers will be housed at an Oxford depot, according to Environment Agency personnel.

Mr King, whose property has been frequently flooded, said: “I hope these barriers work; after being flooded three times in a year, locals have had enough. “These obstacles may hold the water back for a while.

“Dredging also needs to take place to remove silt from rivers and streams, and there is the wider issue of thousands of new homes being built in Abingdon and Oxford, some of them on a flood plain.”

According to Maddy Adams, a flood risk manager for the Environment Agency, weighted containers will be used to keep the metal barriers in place during flooding.

Earlier this year, the county council issued a flood inquiry report on the flooding of residences on Nash Drive and adjoining streets in January 2024.

After that, Abingdon South county councillor Neil Fawcett praised the report and the advice that the Environment Agency work with communities, including community groups, the town council, and other stakeholders to refresh and improve community understanding, resilience, and preparation for flooding.

He also stated that the Environment Agency should invest in flood defences to protect residents’ homes.

Agency personnel testing the flood barriers were unable to reveal the amount of investment.

Last year, Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran persuaded the government to change its funding criteria so that smaller places, such as Abingdon, could benefit from flood protection measures.

She spoke to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, during a Commons debate on rural issues.

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