SPORTS groups in Abingdon have been hit by flooding that could put them out of action for weeks.

The grounds of both Abingdon Town Football Club and Abingdon Vale Cricket Club were flooded by water from the nearby River Thames four days ago.

Herald Series:

Abingdon Town’s ground

Kathy Head, 50, a committee member of the football club, said that the water on the pitch was 2ft deep when she had waded out to check.

She said: “It has got worse over the past two days.

“We have functions this weekend but now I cannot see those going ahead.

“We have four games as well and those will also have to be cancelled.

“In terms of revenue, it will be a massive loss for us.

“The cost could go into the thousands because we will need to repair the pitch and we will lose out on functions.

“We are probably talking about 10 weeks of no football.”

The club has three men’s teams and four youngsters’ teams.

But Ms Head said practice sessions for those teams will now be postponed until alternative arrangements can be made.

Herald Series:

Abingdon Vale Cricket Club

She added: “This has happened before and we had to play away for some games, but that decision is down to the managers.

“It is just as bad for us this year as it was in 2007.”

The club building’s cellars and offices are also flooded.

Nearby pub the Nag’s Head overlooks the river from the bridge but has not yet had any flooding in its beer garden.

Landlord Dushan Salwathura, 39, said that the floods were actually bringing more customers through his doors.

“We have had more people coming in than usual,” he said.

“A lot of them have come to look out over the river from the bridge and then they come into the pub.

“Some areas in Abingdon have been affected, but generally it is not as bad as in previous years.”

But the Environment Agency’s flood warning for the town continues.

The agency has predicted that water levels of the River Thames will continue to rise and the situation last night remained sensitive to rainfall.