Floods Force Evacuations In Oxford

Rising waters forced dozens from their homes in this historic university town Wednesday as the surge from Britain's worst floods in 60 years pushed through southern England.

Firefighters blocked off streets as four-foot-deep waters from the River Thames moved within a mile of Oxford University, where officials readied sandbags.

Nearly 100 people were evacuated from their homes and taken to Oxford's soccer stadium. Thames Valley Police said the river was expected to crest and more residents were being urged to move to higher ground.

Oxford is laced with waterways, including the River Cherwell, which loops around the east and south side of the university. The Bullstake and Botley streams, which meander through west Oxford before joining the Thames, also were in danger of overspilling their banks.

But at the flooded George Inn Pub on Botley Road, a sign proclaimed: "Open for business; come hell or high water."

Oxford University said some colleges in the west and south of the city, where the Thames and its tributaries flooded, had prepared sandbags. Some bags were piled up around the university's music department.

Oxford dug trenches around private houses near open land that the university owns to protect them from a flooding Thames tributary. But none of Oxford's many buildings, libraries and 38 colleges had been closed, and large numbers of tourists continued to visit the university. The academic year ended for undergraduates in mid-June.

Residents watched passing emergency vehicles create waves in the water flooding some neighborhood streets.

"It's quite good fun, actually. People are much nicer to each other than they normally are," said Martin Oliver, 47, an employee at the Courtney Pianos store.

Britain has had one of its wettest summers on record; a sharp contrast to last summer, which was one of its driest and hottest. Nearly five inches of rain fell in some areas on Friday alone. More rain fell Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

While Reading and Caversham; west of London; were under flood warnings, the floods were not expected to reach London.

Waters receded upstream in the hard-hit cities of Tewkesbury and Gloucester, but nearly 350,000 people in the area were without fresh water after a water treatment plant was submerged over the weekend. Authorities said it could be up to two weeks before services were restored.

Damage from the flooding could cost insurers more than $6 billion, the Fitch Ratings agency said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown was expected to visit some of the affected areas Wednesday.

One man drowned Tuesday after jumping into the swollen River Great Ouse, and another man was reported missing. A woman in Tewkesbury lost premature twin babies after going into labor during the flood. With paramedics unable to get to her because of the water, two Royal Air Force helicopters were sent to winch the women and the newborns to safety, police said. They were taken to Cheltenham Hospital, but the twins; born at 21 weeks; died.