Top private school Eton College has been forced to close before the start of a new term because of overloaded sewers caused by severe flooding in the area.

Pupils at the prestigious boys’ school were due to return to class on Tuesday (9 January) but switched to remote learning due to the overwhelmed sewers.

The delayed start of term at the school in the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead, in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, comes as nearly 100 flood warnings remain in place in England following the wrath of Storm Henk last week.

At least 2,000 properties are flooded as a result of the storm, the environment minister said.

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Eton’s alumni include the first prime minister of the UK, Sir Robert Walpole, and more recent ones, Boris Johnson and David Cameron.

It costs around £50,000 for boys to attend for the academic year.

Thames Water apologised to staff and pupils at the school for the inconvenience.

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A spokesperson for Eton College explained that due to the “extensive flooding in the region”, the Thames Water sewers which serve the town of Eton flooded.

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“We are in regular contact with Thames Water as they seek to resolve the situation and we look forward to welcoming boys back as soon as possible.”

The country’s most exclusive boarding school is located by the River Thames near Windsor Castle.

Thames Water said its engineers were responding to the situation.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We are sorry to staff and students who have been impacted. Our teams will be carrying out a clean-up in the coming days once the river levels recede.”

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