Frequent flooding in Oxfordshire could force farmers out of business.

That is the fear of farmer Robert Smith, who has been hit four times in the last nine months and is now calling on the Environment Agency to do more to tackle the problem.

Mr Smith, 45, manages Glebe Farm, 600 acres of farmland on a floodplain south of Bampton, near Carterton.

He said flooding had got worse in recent years and blamed overdevelopment and a lack of defences.

He said just 1.5 inches of rain over the course of a weekend last month was enough to destroy crops, wash expensive fertiliser out of the ground and ruin grassland for grazing.

"I think it's pretty sad when only an inch and a half of rain ruins so much hard work," he said.

"It's very disheartening.

"If it was five inches of rain then fair enough, but such a small amount is unacceptable.

"It has got worse over the last three years. We expect to go under water once a year, but not two, three or four times in nine months "There is a chicken farmer down the road who has been flooded six times in 18 months.

"I know another chap thinking about giving up because the floodplain is just getting bigger and bigger and bigger."

The father-of-one added: "My boy wants to go into farming - I'm trying to persuade him to do some- thing else."

The Environment Agency conducted a review of flooding in West Oxfordshire and the Bampton area following the July floods last year and came up with several recommendations.

Spokesman Dave Ferguson said: "We are sympathetic to farmers.

"Anyone who is concerned about flooding should feel free to contact us to discuss the situation.

"But people who live in the floodplain need to be aware they are at risk of flooding."

He said Glebe Farm had the potential to flood if rainfall was concentrated over a relatively short period of time, as happened last month, particularly when the ground was already very saturated.

The agency's report for the Bampton area recommended working closer with West Oxfordshire District Council to prevent development in the floodplain, and improving the maintenance of Highmoor Brook, Clanfield Brook and Shill Brook.

The report also stressed the importance of working with Bampton residents to build adequate flood defences.