MANY residents would have started the new year with a sigh of relief that they weren’t seeing a repeat of last January.

Then, hundreds of homes were left damaged by flooding and the city was brought to a standstill with the closure of Abingdon and Botley Road.

So the news that the much-anticipated £120m flood relief channel will protect 1,200 homes is certainly welcome.

But sadly not everyone will be safe as there will still be 600 homes in Oxford at risk of flooding.

And critics are right to point out that the number given does not take into account new homes built in the area.

The hope is that as we get closer to the specific details of the channel, more will be done to protect more homes.

We’re still in the relatively early stages and the funding hasn’t even been fully agreed yet.

However, it’s reassuring that the Environment Agency has said it will continue to look at options for the remaining properties during a more detailed look at the scheme.

As Peter Rawcliffe of the Oxford Flood Alliance points out, while the flood channel may not protect everyone from flooding, there may be other elements to look at alongside it.

Let’s hope that as well as the estimated £770m worth of economic benefits the channel is expected to bring to Oxfordshire, the EA does all it can to protect all at-risk properties from a repeat of last January’s floods.