Families still counting the cost of flash flooding in Nuneham Courtenay last week were hit again for the second time in eight days.

Thunder and torrential rain woke villagers before dawn yesterday and their worst fears of a repeat were realised.

The A4074 to Reading ran with a torrent of floodwater, which gushed into barely dried-out listed cottages.

Emergency services closed the road until yesterday afternoon.

This time the storm struck at dead of night, and the first time many residents realised what was happening was when lights and electrical equipment failed.

Four homes were inundated with up to two feet of flood water.

About 20 firefighters helped families transfer their furniture and other house contents to the upper floors, before using pumping equipment to clear flooded kitchens and dining rooms.

Another dozen properties suffered minor seepage which soaked carpets and rugs, but further damage was limited by barriers of sand bags which had remained outside the doors of most homes since last week's deluge.

More were delivered during the course of the morning by South Oxfordshire District Council, and some are being stockpiled in case other freak floods occur.

Parish chairman Paul Gillett said the floodwater struck in exactly the same direction as the previous week - from fields on the northern outskirts of the village.

He said properties worst hit last week, had also taken the brunt of the second flood.

Computer expert Paul Appleby and his wife Marge, who run their business from their house in Old Forge, were again deluged by the second sudden torrent.

Mr Gillett, who had a meeting on site with an engineer from the district council, said he had been asked to arrange a meeting as soon as possible with them, the Environment Agency and Thames Water, to try to come up with "sensible answers."

Nuneham Courtenay is surrounded by a network of Victorian culverts, which villagers believe are unable to cope with a sudden wave of floodwater.

One of those flooded for a second time, 33-year-old cabinet maker Colin Kruszco, said up to 18 inches of water had flowed into the ground floor, but little damage had been caused as the area had been stripped of its contents last week.

He said; "There's a culvert running down the back of these properties with an outlet only a foot wide.

"When we get this huge amount of water, it cannot cope, and it starts bubbling up through the ground and into these homes."

Mr Kruszco, his wife and four children are now living above their garage.

For one couple, Emma Simms, and her partner, Dean Jones, this second incident has been a flood too far.

Last week they discovered the former village shop which they rent from her father, now working in the United Arab Emirates, had not been reinsured and they lost most of their possessions on the ground floor.

Ms Simms, 39, said: "People were very kind and gave us all kinds of things, including a tumbledryer and fridge, but this has happened before any insurance can come through, so we've lost a second time.

"We're financially ruined. I don't know what's going to happen to us."

Fortnight of rain in one night

Two weeks' worth of rain fell in one night, flooding homes and roads, causing accidents and spilling sewage into streets in Oxfordshire.

More than one and a half inches of rain - half of the county's October average - fell in eight hours overnight between Thursday and yesterday morning, causing widespread problems.

Abingdon was worst hit, with homes, gardens and roads flooded.

Environment Agency spokesman Chris Mitchell said: "There has been a huge amount of surface water flooding in the area to roads and gardens, due to road drains not being able to cope with the amount of rainwater.

"We have also been informed that the gratings were clear at the time. It would appear that watercourses overtopped due to the sheer volume of water, following the significant amount of rain."

Homes were swamped in Appleford Drive and Chilton Close, Abingdon, and in Didcot.

A motorcyclist fell off his bike on the A34 Abingdon North slip road, at Lodge Hill, and there was flooding on the A40 at Cassington, at Oxford's Osney Mead industrial estate and in parts of Sutton Courtenay, which were also flooded last week.

Cars broke down as water blocked the road between Woodeaton Road and Marston Road in Oxford.

In Abingdon, firefighters helped to search for a missing kitten called Tizz, belonging to the Hawkes family of Appleford Drive. A firefighter also carried 10-year-old Jessica Hawkes's bike through the floodwater to Rush Common Junior School so she could take a cycling proficiency test.

Her mother Marie Hawkes said: "It was awful. The floodwater came within an inch of getting into the house. But the fire service were excellent."

The firefighters were unsuccessful in their hunt for Tizz, but the cat turned up of its own accord a few hours later.

In nearby Chilton Close, six inches of water ruined a wooden floor and electric kitchen equipment in the home of Marc Weber and his wife Ute Schmidt-Rohrboth and their four children. Mr Weber said: "My main concern is that some fundamental solutions should be looked at."

Flooding closed Botley Library yesterday but it was expected to reopen today.

Parents taking their children to North Hinksey Primary School in Oxford feared their youngsters were being splashed with sewage after drains overflowed in North Hinksey Lane.

Thames Water sent engineers to inspect the scene and check the sewers.

Localised thunderstorms and further rain are forecast in the Oxford area today and tomorrow afternoon.

Town postpone game due to flooding

Abingdon Town football ground may see its fair share of dribbling but heavy storms led to two unwanted pitch invaders - 6in of flooding and a family of swans.

Abingdon Town have called off today's home reserve cup match against Kintbury Rangers after heavy downpours caused the nearby River Thames to flood the pitch.

About 6in of water covered two corners and a goalmouth yesterday morning.

The puddles also attracted a family of swans, who seemed quite at home on the Culham Road ground.

Club chairman Tom Larman said: "The pitch is a couple of feet lower than the stand and when the river about 400 yards away broke its bank it flooded two of the corners and across the middle. It was popular with a family of swans."

Mr Larman added he feared the flooding of the football pitch had been caused by the Environment Agency's use of weir gates and locks to control the flow of the Thames.

An agency spokesman said weir gates at Abingdon lock and weir had been opened to cope with the water.

The spokesman said: "We opened them to create as much water as possible to flow through to Nuneham Courtenay."

Matches due to be played at the ground tomorrow may also be called off if the water does not drain away in time.

Fans should call the club on 01235 512684 for information.