HUGE tracts of Oxfordshire were flooded this week in a detailed Lego model.

Children at Dorchester St Birinus Primary School inundated a model of the county to learn more about the challenges of defending the real world from floods.

Engineers from Atkins in Oxford built the miniature Oxfordshire, featuring landmarks such as Didcot Power Station, Oxford University colleges, the Bodleian Library and waterworks.

Engineer Rob Sadler talked to the children about some of the dilemmas planners face when it comes to flooding, such as what to protect and what not to protect.

He then gave the children just five minutes to place Lego sandbags around what they thought were the most important Oxfordshire landmarks before he turned on the taps.

Afterwards, he graded the children based on how good a job they did; pupils got more points for protecting the most vulnerable infrastructure.

Abbie Sullivan-Webb, nine, said: “We found out lots of information about how Oxford could flood and did an experiment to work out the best way to stop the important places flooding.”

Chloe Ashley, 10, said: “It was a very good experience and seeing it flood was amazing.

“The model was outstanding. I would definitely do it again.”

School governor Julia Sadler, whose daughters Megan and Carys go to the school, said Lego had been an ideal way to teach the children about a complicated subject.

She said: “It’s Lego, so of course it’s great fun for the children. They all got really engaged.

“Rob was able to show them in a very visual way how important it is that we have the Thames and the Cherwell running through Oxford.

“Atkins put a lot of work into the model.”

Most of the children from the village are well aware of how destructive it can be when the River Thames floods – swathes of South Oxfordshire were isolated when country roads ended up underwater in January and February 2014. Oxford city centre was also partly cut off when both Botley and Abingdon Roads were flooded.

Last week the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers Prof David Balmforth visited Oxford to learn more about the Environment Agency’s plans for a £120m flood relief channel.