THE flooding could cost Oxford’s economy millions of pounds, according to the man running the Town Hall.

City council leader Bob Price was speaking as two of the main routes into Oxford – Botley Road and Abingdon Road – were closed because of the high water levels.

Traffic in High Street backed up from Carfax for most of the street’s length yesterday after Oxfordshire County Council opened it to general traffic to keep Oxford moving.

The chaos was caused by more flooding and, with more rain set to come down this week, the problems are set to persist for several days.

Mr Price said: “The practical, day-to-day costs of this flooding have cost the city council about £50,000 and once it ends we are probably talking about £100,000.

“But in terms of the economic costs to the city, I suspect it runs into the millions.”

Traders were trying to establish how much the closures could end up costing them – but others on Abingdon Road have already warned that thousands of pounds are being lost.

Graham Jones, of city centre traders’ group ROX, said: “If there are a few extra obstacles to getting into the city centre, then people will put their visit off.”

The closures meant there were only a handful of main routes into Oxford, including the congested Iffley Road.

Highways authority the county council said it would reopen the two roads when the water levels subsided – but it was unclear when this could be.

According to traffic navigation system TomTom, the A44 into Oxford was the worst affected road in the country yesterday, with 60 minutes of stationary traffic stretching back four miles between the A4095 and the A40 at the Wolvercote roundabout.

Oxford Mail:

Bumper-to-bumper on Oxford’s High Street yesterday

Phil Southall, the operations director of Oxford Bus Company, said: “We are managing to keep our services going and we have adjusted resources as best we can, although the lengthy diversion means there are inevitable delays. For example, it is taking at least an extra 25 minutes to get from the city centre to Botley.”

Two Oxford schools were closed because of flooding – Grandpont Nursery School and West Oxford Community Primary School.

The river level at Iffley Lock at noon yesterday was 0.82m – compared to a typical range of up to 0.22m.

Last night, 13 sections of waterway across Oxfordshire were on flood warning, meaning immediate action is required.

According to the Environment Agency, flood levels in Oxford were expected to peak yesterday, depending on the rainfall.

But spokesman Joe Giacomelli said: “We want people to remain aware to continued flood risk.”

Be prepared

IF you are at risk of flooding:

  • Fit flood boards on doors, use sandbags, and fit toilet bungs on downstairs toilets
  • Put plugs in sinks and baths and weigh them down with a pillowcase or plastic bag filled with soil
  • Switch off water, gas and electricity at the mains when water is about to enter your home
  • Do not touch sources of electricity when standing in water
  • Disconnect equipment that uses water, like washing machines and dishwashers
  • Avoid walking or driving through flood water
  • The latest advice and details of flood alerts and warnings are available at environment-agency.gov.uk or call 0845 988 1188