The Environment Agency has warned yesterday’s heavy rainfall will swell the Thames at Kingston with flooding set to continue – and there is more rain coming.

The agency said in an updated flood warning: “The River Thames at Kingston remains high and sensitive to the further rainfall forecast over the coming days.

“Property flooding is expected to continue.

“River levels are likely to return to levels similar to those seen during the past week, over the coming weekend.

“Residents should remain vigilant.”

Yesterday businesses on the riverside said they had sandbags at the ready, with The Boaters Inn “about a foot away” from flooding, according to management.

Assistant manager Ryan Gough said last night: “We have got our sandbags in place and we are keeping an eye on it.

“Batten down the hatches and keep it open. The beer will keep running.”

And Toby Creed-Miles, managing director of Creed-Miles Office Design further downstream, said: “There is a concern. It has got to come up easily another metre, but never say never.”

A Lower Ham Road resident, who lives near the Hawker Centre, said she thought the river would have to rise by a metre and a half – well above the highest level recorded in the last 31 years – to damage her house.

At 8am today the river level was 5.38m, 39cm below the highest recorded level of 5.71m.