Two people died in the southwestern British town of Tewkesbury Thursday as tens of thousands of people in the region remain without water.

It's believed the two people were overcome by fumes from a gas-powered pump while trying to clean up a flooded rugby club in the town.

Rising flood waters forced dozens of residents to be evacuated from the university town of Oxford on Wednesday as the surge from Britain's worst floods in 60 years pushed through the Thames Valley.
(Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press)

While waters receded in the hard-hit communities of Tewkesbury and Gloucester late Wednesday, roughly 350,000 people remain without drinking water. Officials say it could be two weeks before full services are restored to the flooded water treatment plant.

The region is expected to receive about 10 to 15 millimetres of rain Thursday, which could lead to further flooding as tributaries overflow into the Thames and Severn, Britain's two largest rivers.

During a visit to Gloucestershire county a day earlier, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged financial support and supplies, including bottled water.

Meanwhile, Britain's storied Oxford University escaped the worst of the flooding as water crested through the Thames Valley on Wednesday. Officials had stacked sandbags around the school's main classrooms, which remained above the city's waterways.

The George Inn, a pub on a flooded Oxford street, posted a sign reading: "Open for business — come hell or high water."

Other communities west of London such as Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor were taking precautions as forecasters predicted water levels would peak Thursday.

Officials say Windsor Castle was safe from the flooding because of its substantial flood defences.

Farmers are warning of crop shortage, including potatoes. Milk shortages also hit some areas because delivery trucks couldn't make it through flooded roads.

At least three flood-related deaths were reported on Tuesday. One man died while a woman in Tewkesbury lost premature twins after going into labour during the flood. Another man has been reported missing.

Britain has had one of its wettest summers on record, a sharp contrast to last summer — one of its driest and hottest. Nearly 13 centimetres of rain fell in some areas on July 20.

British insurance companies estimate bills from the flooding could reach $6.5 billion.

With files from the Associated Press