Climate change has already cost Oxfordshire County Council £16.4m, it was claimed this week.

More than 260 costly weather-related incidents have been recorded by the council over the last 10 years.

Damage has resulted from flooding to hundreds of homes and businesses and the buckling of more than 50 roads because of dry summers and winters.

But the cost incurred also includes the loss of teaching time resulting from schools closing during this summer's heatwave.

Last week, the Stern Review predicted that the effects of climate change could cost countries between five and 20 per cent of the wealth they produce.

But County Hall said it could already blame climate change for some of the multi-million-pound repair bills that the council has faced in recent years.

If the bill were to take into account the cost to businesses and housholders in Oxfordshire, the cost would come to hundreds of millions, according to Nika Robertson, the county's environment manager.

She said: "The £16.4m figure is just the tip of the iceberg, based on insurance claims and road repair bills.

"People aren't stupid. When they see floods and droughts in Oxfordshire they think back to previous decades and make comparisons. Things have changed. What people may not know is the financial cost."

The £16.4m total includes the cost of emergency provision, such as supplying bottled water to motorists stuck in summer queues. But it does not take into account staff time at councils and other organisations involved in tackling problems.

The added financial pressure being put on County Hall by increasingly extreme weather conditions was spelled out as the county council announced plans to work on a pioneering project with the UK Climate Impacts Programme to help prepare for future problems. It will also examine ways of trying to hold down costs.

County Hall said it was also putting together a new carbon management strategy aimed at reducing carbon emissions by 20 per cent.

Work being undertaken includes expanding recycling across the county, exploring on-site renewable energy generation and installing energy-efficient boilers and cavity insulation in the council's buildings.

Ms Robertson said nearly half of all schools were classed as Eco-Schools and were looking at ways of saving energy, with Berinsfield School leading the way with a wind turbine.

She added: "Tackling carbon emissions and providing value for money do not have to be mutually exclusive. Taking strong action to reduce emissions must be viewed as an investment."

County's climate change bill

The £16.4m figure is an estimate based on a series of incidents, some of which brought disruption and chaos to the county. The list includes:

The drought of 2003/4, with more than 50 roads hit by two extremely dry winters and summers. Major routes through the county were disrupted as roads buckled, with the cost of reconstruction work put at £3.6m

Floods in January 2003 saw homes, businesses and two schools flooded. Tesco in Abingdon was closed for three days, with losses to the company put at £m. Abingdon and Botley Roads were flooded, as was the Oxford-Didcot railway line

Flooding in 2000 hit 240 properties. Twelve commercial properties on one flooded industrial estate alone were left with damage of £15,000

This summer's heatwave, which caused schools to close, resulted in loss of teaching hours, loss in working hours for parents and increased pressure on childcare services. A total of 970 children were affected.