OXFAM'S Oxford headquarters is temporarily shut due to flooding, inconveniencing more than 800 workers for at least a month.

The charity's office in Cowley will remain temporarily closed until mid-March at the earliest, because of water damage to the building’s 'core services, including electrical and data systems'.

Oxfam said an initial assessment suggested the problem was caused by a burst pipe overnight on Sunday, but did not elaborate further.

Staff have been working remotely from home or in nearby temporary office spaces to ensure the global charity Oxfam’s overseas and domestic work continues.

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Oxfam CEO Danny Sriskandarajah said: “Our priority has been to ensure that our vital life-saving and life-changing work around the world is not affected. Staff have been working tirelessly implementing our contingency plans and ensuring that our back-up systems are working.

“Some supporters contacting us by phone and online may have experienced some delays. We have been working hard to restore services and apologise for any inconvenience."

A spokeswoman added that the building needs to dry out before any work is undertaken and reassured donators that the charity's work would continue.

She said the problem was mainly centred around 'the core of the building', where a lot of the electrics are based. 

Mr Sriskandarajah continued: “We continue to review the situation and update our contingency plans. Clearly, the safety and well-being of our staff is paramount, so we will only reopen the building when we are advised it is safe to do so.

“We are very grateful for the offers of support from other businesses and organisations in Oxford.”

Oxfam was at the centre of a national scandal in February, when the Times revealed that senior staff paid survivors of the Haiti earthquake for sex and hosted parties with prostitutes.

The newspaper said the charity tried to cover up the story.