HORRIFIED residents were forced to flee their homes today as floods devastated the village of Farmoor.

Many woke to find ground floors covered in 3ft of water, with furniture floating around their living rooms.

Emergency services were alerted at 4.30am when a major water main to the Farmoor reservoir burst.

Hundreds of motorists were left stranded as water levels rose to 4ft on roads around the village.

Residents woke to find a torrent of water cascading past the front of their homes. Twenty-four fire officers worked through the early hours, pumping water out of 13 flooded properties.

Linda Colucci, of Church Close, told how she and her daughters waded through her flooded garage to rescue their pet terrier Scooby.

She said: "We found him floating around with his head just sticking out above the water. The poor dog almost drowned."

Neighbour Brian Thomas, 53, said: "We were woken by a gurgling noise in the toilet. We switched on the lights and saw that the whole of the lounge was under 3ft of water."

The flooding caused serious subsidence to Eynsham Road and police closed the busy Swinford Toll Bridge, causing huge traffic tailbacks.

Farmoor Village Hall, in Cumnor Road, and the Total petrol station also suffered severe flood damage.

Thames Water spokesman Stuart Read said the company accepted responsibility for the damage.

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