More than 100 concerned householders have signed a petition to halt housing development in an area severely affected by flooding.

Folk living in Abingdon fear more homes will exacerbate flooding in the town, believing the water would run straight into the river if fields are turned into concrete. 

Dorothy Giacomin, who lives on Peachcroft Road, started the petition last week with the aim of halting housing development on Dunmore Road and Twelve Acre Drive in the town following severe flooding which covered the area in the past few weeks.

Abingdon's Tesco Extra store was recently closed for two days as a result of the flooding, while residents in Chilton Close were left standing knee-deep in water this month.

The 60-year-old pianist and piano teacher has accrued 112 signatures so far, saying she was “quite surprised.”

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She added: “People in Dunmore Road were hit by the flooding.

“What the householders are worried about really is that the fields around the estate were soakaways, which distribute the floodwater into the surrounding soil.

“But those fields will now be concrete for houses, so any future floodwater will flow into the Thames rather than into the groundwater.

“There’s also some risk of flash flooding on the new estate.

“A lot of houses have already been built on Dunmore Road and more are planned for Twelve Acre Drive, near where I live.

“The developers are digging drainage channels and pipes, they’re trying to do something about potential flooding, but so many people are concerned and think the flood risks should be reassessed.”

In response, a spokesperson for Vale of White Horse District Council said: “We’re aware of recent flooding near Abingdon, on land north of Dunmore Road managed by David Wilson Homes.

Oxford Mail: The area where development is planned just off Dunmore Road The area where development is planned just off Dunmore Road

“Drainage one this development site is the responsibility of the respective developer.

“Our investigations into the flooding found that drainage works at the development are not yet complete, and the capacity of the developer’s temporary drainage measures was exceeded by the recent exceptional rainfall, contributing to localised flooding on nearby roads.

“We’re working closely with David Wilson Homes to ensure this is not repeated and have requested they complete the permanent drainage work in-line with their drainage strategy as soon as feasible.

Oxford Mail: A resident from Chilton close standing in flood water A resident from Chilton close standing in flood water (Image: Contributed)

“In the meantime, they have also introduced various processes to mitigate the risk of flooding until the drainage works can be completed, including daily monitoring of water levels and trigger points to manually tanker water away.

“We have also been working closely with Bellway (developer for the site to the north of Twelve Acres Drive) to ensure they also deliver a robust management plan for drainage during construction.”

Bellway is set to deliver 371 homes, a mix of one, two, three, four and five-bed houses and flats of which it claims 35 per cent will be ‘affordable’.

When added to the existing David Wilson Homes at Abbey Fields and those proposed nearby, this will bring the total to 950 homes.