THE first work on clearing the ground for Oxford's £120m flood alleviation scheme has begun.

Network Rail engineers this week started clearing vegetation near the track in New Hinksey to make way for the channel.

The rail firm will be raising 400m of track through Oxford this summer to reduce the risk of it flooding.

It will install two channels, called culverts, beneath the raised track that will be able to carry the new flood alleviation channel under the railway.

Network Rail communication manager Matthew Thompson said work had begun well.

He said: "Our engineers have been doing vegetation clearance along the track for the past week and are now doing water course clearance.

"They will be doing that for the next four days – taking trees down and taking trees from the water course next to the track."

Apart from cutting down five trees and some other vegetation, the works are unlikely to have much effect on residents, as the track is not in a built-up area.

Network Rail agreed to widen the culverts under the track after the Environment Agency (EA), which is designing the new flood alleviation channel, gave it £1.1m.

That is significantly cheaper than what the EA would have had to pay Network Rail if it wanted to close the line to do the same work at a later date.

The works mean the railway will close entirely from July 30 to August 15.

Mr Thompson said train operators GWR and Cross Country would most likely have to lay on replacement bus services.

Network Rail held two drop-in sessions on the current works earlier this year.

Just 12 turned up to the first at South Oxford Community Centre, and 30 more appeared at the second session at South Hinksey Village Hall to grill the scheme's designers.