Twelve units at Harrier Park on Didcot’s Southmead Estate were flooded on Monday (September 23) after a nearby stream burst its banks in torrential rain.
Most units had only just been refurbished following floods after Storm Henk in January.
Will Griffiths of Ironworks Gym shut on Tuesday night after water started to come in the building.
He said: “We’ve just spent all the costs of refurbishment and got up and running again and the same thing happens.
“The carpets are damp, it’s gone up all the wood and we are going to have to deal with the smell and the hygiene moving forwards.
£300,000 printing press standing in floodwater at David Charles print business (Image: Will Griffiths) “And after we’ve paid more refurb costs, is it going to happen again in December? And are we going to have to redo carpets and shut the gym again?
“The bigger units like David Charles across the car park which is a printing business have got a printing press worth £300,000 standing in water.
“This estate was flooded 17 years ago but something’s changed within the last year-and-a-half to two years that is causing flooding.
“An investigation needs to take place to prevent this happening again with the next heavy rainfall or dozens of businesses might be forced to shut,” he said.
Mr Griffiths said the huge amount of new housing being built around Didcot was likely to be part of the problem.
“The rainfall amount isn’t new, but the flooding in this area is! What’s changed?” he said.
Mark Currie, who runs SMAF Oxford kickboxing gym, was also flooded out for the second time this year.
He said: “We’ve been closed since Monday and have about £5,000 of damage probably. It’s much worse for other businesses along here, but it’s not good to be flooded twice in six months.
“The river came up and we worked together to put sandbags in place and do everything we could to protect our businesses but the river burst its banks and started coming into people’s buildings.
“It was worse this time than January. Every building was flooded. In January the estate was under two-and-a-half to three feet of water but only one side of the estate was affected.”
The business owners blame the council for not keeping the drains clear and the Environment Agency for not maintaining the nearby brook which they believe should be widened.
Anne Marie, who works at Thames Valley Temperature Control said she felt ‘let down’ by local authorities.
She said: “On Monday members of staff were stood in knee high water. It’s just heart-breaking. It’s physically and mentally shattering. There is only so long we can keep this up for.
“We feel let down. We feel like we’ve been forgotten, nobody wants to know.”
A South Oxfordshire District Council spokesperson said Oxfordshire had experienced “exceptional” rainfall “which will often cause some problems, regardless of what preventative work takes place.
“Responsibility for drainage is often complex and can involve a number of organisations, agencies and landowners.
“The maintenance and clearing of blocked ditches and brooks (which can also be a contributory factor in flooding) are the responsibility of landowners.”
On the increase in housing in Didcot, she added: “We monitor developments to ensure they are meeting all of the conditions of the planning permission, however, ultimately the provision of drainage on development sites is the responsibility of the respective developer.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “The Moor brook does feature on our maintenance programme, and we carry out this work every April.
“Every year, we cut back vegetation in the channel, remove blockages and ensure water flow is not impeded.
“We receive annual funding to do this once a year. Any additional maintenance between our visits is the responsibility of the Riparian owners.
“The Environment Agency has no plans to permanently widen the ditch.”