River & Rowing Museum closed until Friday after flooding

THE River & Rowing Museum will be closed until Friday after heavy rain caused flooding in the building.

Staff and visitors were evacuated and a crew from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived at around 1.20pm on Tuesday.

The constant and heavy rain meant that the drains on the roof could not cope and water started to leak into the museum.

Museum staff returned on Wednesday morning to find the leak had caused significant electrical damage.

A crew of five firefighters used a generator on the roof to pump water through a hose and down the side of the building into a drain at ground level.

Catherine Yoxall, head of marketing for the museum, said: “The rain came down quicker than the building could get rid of it.

“Our staff evacuated the building quickly and efficiently. We had a conference and all of our customers in the cafe were evacuated safely.

“We don’t think there has been any damage to the building. The firefighters arrived and inspected the whole building. They have been on the roof pumping the water.

“We have never had issues of flooding like this before. Normally it is at ground level. I have worked here for 10 years and I have never seen anything like this before.

“I am sure there will be a full assessment once we have had a report from the fire brigade and facilities team.

“I think it was a combination of very unusual circumstances. It came down so quickly so it was just very bad luck.

“But I can’t praise our staff enough. They reacted brilliantly and got everyone out safely which is the most important thing.”

Firefighters were still at the scene at 3pm and an electrician arrived shortly before 2.50pm to ensure the supply was isolated before restoring power.

A spokesman for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service added: “We attended the River & Rowing Museum, with one fire appliance from Henley fire station.

“There was flooding on the roof of the building caused by blocked drains.Subsequent flooding into the building in different locations triggered the alarm.”