Flood Alert Issued for Great Shefford Area in West Berkshire

Alert Details

The Environment Agency has issued a flood alert (Severity Level 3) for the Great Shefford area. The alert was officially raised at 9:15 AM on March 10, 2026, following reports of high groundwater levels in the Thames area.

Affected Areas

The geographic scope of this alert is centered on the Great Shefford area within West Berkshire. Monitoring is currently focused on the Northfield Farm borehole, where groundwater levels are being closely observed.

What You Should Do

Residents in the warning area are advised to take the following precautions:

• Prepare property resilience measures immediately.
• Ensure that all installed water pumps are in good working order.
• Exercise extreme caution when driving through flood water to ensure your own safety and to prevent the displacement of water into nearby properties.

Expected Conditions

High groundwater levels are currently threatening low-lying areas and roads. While data from the Northfield Farm borehole indicates that levels are beginning to fall very gradually, the Environment Agency warns that levels remain high and are extremely sensitive to any further sustained rainfall.

Timeline

The alert is effective as of March 10, 2026. Due to the unique nature of groundwater flooding, the Environment Agency expects these conditions to continue for several weeks or potentially longer. A formal update to this situation is scheduled to be released by 12 PM on March 17, 2026, unless conditions change significantly before that time.