Schools shut as heavy rain brings flooding

Several schools have been forced to close across Oxfordshire after heavy rain caused flooding.

The sites have shut after buildings were deluged with water and some found manholes were open or broken.

A night and morning of persistent heavy rain has also caused drains to back up.

An amber weather warning has been issued for central and southern England, including Oxfordshire, by the Met Office.

Nicky Vernede from Wheatley woke up to find part of the ground floor of her house and patio were flooded

Schools closed:

• Bladon Church of England Primary School, Woodstock

• Barley Hill Primary School, Thame

• Warriner School, Bloxham

• St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Thame

• Lord Williams's School, Thame

• Frank Wise School, Banbury

• Greyfriars Catholic School, Oxford

• Cheney School, Headington

• Shellingford Church of England School, Faringdon

• St James Church of England Primary School, Hanney, Wantage

• John Watson School, Wheatley

• Stockham Primary School in Wantage, The Blake Church of England Primary School in Witney and Langford Village Community Primary School in Bicester have said they are partially closed

Nicky Vernede, from Wheatley, woke up to find the ground floor of her house and patio flooded.

She said the High Street was a "huge river with a massive current which you can’t even walk safely across".

"The neighbours have all been helping each other walk across the road so they don’t get swept away," she added.

"Other neighbours have been bringing in thermos flasks of tea and coffee, and offers of dinner... and even popping to the loo and a bit of warm space because obviously we’ve got no heating and we’re all getting a little bit wet now.

"It brings the best out in people at the worst times, that’s one positive thing we can make from this."

Motorists across Oxford struggled with the floodwater

Some routes were left completely submerged as rain continued into the evening

A flood warning is in place for Mill Brook from the Hagbourne Mill area to Winterbrook, and for Chalgrove Brook at Chalgrove and Stadhampton.

This means flooding of properties is expected.

Residents are advised to move possessions and valuables off the ground or to safety and use any flood protection in place at their property.

There is a warning for rain in place until 21:00 BST.

Affected areas could see more than a month's worth of rain falling on Monday.

A night and morning of heavy persistent rain has left some schools flooded and inaccessible

A flood alert is in place for areas along the River Thame and the River Thames and its tributaries as river levels have risen.

The flooded schools said pupils had been set remote learning and urged parents and carers to check their websites for updates.

Barley Hill Primary School in Thame closed at about 11:30 after the rain continued, classrooms and grounds flooded and the electricity supply was lost to part of the school building.

Lord Williams School in Thame said a geography trip to Birmingham had also been cancelled.

In Banbury, Frank Wise School said it was "working to try and reopen" and hoped to contact staff and families later on Monday to advise whether the closure would continue into Tuesday.

An amber weather warning has been issued for central and southern England until 21:00 BST

Woodstock GP surgery has also been closed due to flooding.

Posting online, the practice said it has been forced to shut after fire crews advised the building was unsafe for patients and damage cause by the water needed to be assessed.

The surgery advised patients who need urgent medical advice to contact NHS 111 or 999 if they have a life threatening emergency.

Oxford Bus Company has also been forced to divert buses on some routes due to the "increasingly difficult weather conditions".

The bus operator said many services were also experiencing delays in excess of an hour.

In Horspath, a burst manhole cover in the road was causing issues for drivers

Elsewhere in Summertown, resident Tessa Goddard said the drains in her street had backed up and there was "nowhere for heavy rain to go".

She told the BBC she had Airbnb guests in her basement flat who reported water pouring in through the door.

Ms Goddard explained: "It was literally pouring in, but the lovely builders across the road made up some sandbags for me.

"The water is now receding, the guests have moved upstairs to my home. I don’t think the leaves have helped all down the side of the road, but surely the drains should be regularly cleaned to avoid this situation."