A MOTHER has been left devastated after she said the sale of her house fell through because of the flooding.

Kerry Winfield, of Fox Crescent, said she had agreed a sale price of just under £400,000 for her six bed semi.

But after the flood waters lapped up against the front door, the buyers visited and, she says, pulled out.

Mrs Winfield was close to the point of tears as she told the Oxford Mail: “We were just finding somewhere to live. I am going to struggle to sell my house now.

“For us to get the flooding as we did, it is very, very rare. I am angry it came to that stage – that my house sale fell through because of the flooding.”

The mother, like others, said she had never seen the flooding so bad in her area.

She said: “We have never had anything like this before.

“I think everybody in Chatham Road and Fox Crescent has just about had enough.

“I checked all the drains around Fox Crescent and they were full of debris and water. To have it to that extreme – it has never been like it before.”

Now other flood-weary residents in South Oxford are hoping to form a residents’ committee to fight for better flood defences for the area.

Homes were surrounded by water and blocked drains prevented residents from using their toilets and appliances.

Fox Crescent and Chatham Street were provided with temporary toilets by Oxford City Council, as was nearby Peel Place.

Lilian Sherwood, of Fox Crescent, said: “Those who were ploughing through the water to help us were brilliant. I cannot fault the authorities.

“But it is about the long-term issue – it is the higher up people that made the decisions.”

She added: “It was certainly a lot worse this time.

“But then it is being pumped out further up in other places – it has to come somewhere.”

Damian Gray, partner at estate agents Knight Frank and head of the Oxford office in Summertown, said he does not anticipate the floods putting off potential buyers.

He said: “We have not had any sales fall through because of the flooding.

“If you are near a river, one has to take in to account the risk and balance that against the beauty of living near a river.”

He added: “I don’t think it affects people a great deal anymore. If you continuously flood then one would question whether it is the right thing to buy.

“The draw of Oxford far outweighs any nervousness about flooding.”