COMMUNITIES across Oxfordshire have been warned to prepare for the risk of flooding over the weekend.

The Environment Agency has said that the thunderstorms and torrential rain which are expected to move across England today will increase the risk of surface water flooding because drainage systems might not be able to cope.

The news came after the county was hit by thunder and lightning yesterday morning.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said that it didn’t get any call outs despite the battering.

The spectacular storm rolled across Oxfordshire, with forked lightning lighting up the sky as rain hammered down on the county.

Temperatures in Oxford yesterday hit a reported high of 28C as the county sweltered in a heatwave.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for today which means Oxfordshire residents should be prepared for severe quantities of rain.

There is also the possibility of flash flooding from rivers in urban areas and smaller rivers. Environment Agency teams are out working to minimise river flood risk, clearing debris from streams and unblocking culverts.

Barry Russell, Environment Agency operations manager for Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, said: “The intense nature of the rainfall which causes surface water flooding makes it very difficult to accurately predict where it will occur, so I would urge people to check local weather forecasts and the gov.uk website for information regularly.”

 

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