RAW sewage has flooded one of Oxford’s most popular parks, forcing city officials to close it to the public.

Last night, engineers from Thames Water were involved in a “rigorous clean-up” of Florence Park, Cowley, after sewage started flowing from manholes. It is expected the park will reopen sometime later today.

Yesterday, a large part of the Cricket Road end was covered in untreated waste and foul water.

Park workers first spotted a manhole overflowing at 7.30am on Wednesday.

Waste then started seeping from more manholes and, as the situation worsened, the park was closed to protect the public’s health and safety.

A spokesman for Oxford City Council said parks staff tried to unblock the drains with a high pressure hose in an attempt to limit the damage. But a sizeable area of the park – popular with tennis players, young families and dog walkers – had already become covered in sewage.

The spokesman added: “Twenty per cent of the park at the Cricket Road end had sewage over it – all around the tennis courts, the pavilion, the kiosk, the grass area towards the bandstand and some of the main pathways.”

Thames Water engineers were on site withing 45 minutes of being called out to unblock a sewer in Rymer’s Lane.

Yesterday its spokesman told the Oxford Mail said: “We are very sorry for the flooding this has caused to Florence Park and can assure residents our engineers will undertake a rigorous clean-up of the area.”

Florence Park Children’s Centre, which is in the park and next to the tennis courts, was isolated and its park entrance closed off, but remained open while the flood was dealt with.

Manager Norma Thompson said: “We were told there was a sewage leak and they had closed the park to stop animals and children becoming affected. At the moment we are not concerned, nobody has reported a smell or anything like that.”

Sally Mullard, 40, from nearby Campbell Road, regularly uses the park with her son William, 17 months, and daughter Molly, six.

She said: “There is an ongoing problem with flooding in the park because of the brook at the end of it and I am convinced this is connected to that.

“The playground is always wet and muddy, and it does raise the question of how contaminated it is when it floods.

“I would like to know exactly what has been done to clear it up before I take my children back there.”

Simon Jochymuk, 24, from Cowley, and Darren Jacques, 30, from Rose Hill, went home disappointed after arriving at the park for a weekly tennis game only to find the gates locked.

Mr Jochymuk said: “It looks like the game will be off. It’s pretty gross.”

fbardsley@oxfordmail.co.uk