Drone shots reveal how slowly rising Thames is now just FEET away from Clooneys’ Berkshire mansion

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George and Amal Clooney now have flood water just feet away from the back of their £12million mansion – after heavy rain caused the nearby River Thames to break its banks. 

The couple’s 17th-century, Grade II-listed house in the celebrity haunt of Sonning, Berkshire is located on an island in the river, which runs past the boundary of their grounds. 

Drone photos from January 21 show a pool of floodwater at the edge of their garden, but by this Tuesday this had crept up the perfectly manicured lawns and was worryingly close to the property itself. 

Water is also just feet away from the garden terrace, which includes a 60ft heated swimming pool and a summer house. 

A flood alert is still in place around Sonning, with the area set for more downpours this weekend, although the Environment Agency say properties are not expected to be inundated. 

Official data shows that the river level at Sonning Lock currently stands at 0.68m above sea level after rising from Sunday to Wednesday before reducing slightly today. Flooding is possible any time this figure rises above 0.26m. 

The Hollywood star and human rights lawyer moved into the secluded home with their twins in 2016, after an intensive 18-month long refurbishment.

The Clooneys paid an undisclosed sum for the listed property, which was put on the market for £7.5 million, in September 2014, a couple of weeks after their three-day wedding extravaganza in Venice.

Last year the high-profile pair applied for planning permission for an outhouse to bolster security as the famous home attracts more tourists.

Sonning is a well-known haunt for the rich and famous and is also home to former Prime Minister Theresa May. 

The village is a higgledy-piggledy mix of half-timbered houses, some dating from the 13th century, and more austere Georgian properties. 

Local restaurant The French Horn is regularly frequented by celebrities and the Clooneys stayed there for almost a month while renovations were being carried out on their home. 

The final bill was thought to be in the region of £20 million — at least twice what the couple originally paid for the property.

The interior, comprising almost 11,000 square feet in total, was completely overhauled.

Original features have been retained but the interior now has a light, modern feel compared with the more traditional fixtures of old.

A walkway connected to the house leads to a glasshouse and a spacious pool house looking out over a 60ft swimming pool, hot tub and a terrace of reclaimed Yorkstone, lined with a row of pine trees.

Next to the pool is a shaded oak pergola area in which the couple can relax after a dip.   

There are 153 more flood alerts and 44 warnings out for England, which are of particular concerns for residents near the River Thames in Berkshire and Oxfordshire, and the River Severn in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.  

Parts of Britain could be brought to a standstill by blizzards over the next five days as forecasters warned ‘significant’ falls of snow up to 3ft 4in (100cm) deep could cripple transport in the worst-affected areas.

Much of northern England and Scotland are under weather warnings for snow and ice until at least the end of next Monday amid concerns those living in remote villages could become cut off for days without power.

Temperatures are set to plunge across the UK with even London not expected to get above 3C (37F) between this Sunday and next Thursday, while more rain is on the way bringing an increased flood threat to nearly 200 areas.

Cold air from Scandinavia will continue to sit across northern areas for much of this week, while warm and moist air is pushing in from the Atlantic to the South West. Where these two air masses meet, the rain will turn to snow.

The Scottish Government is now deciding whether to convene its resilience committee amid concerns over the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme north of the border, already lagging behind the rest of the UK.

Vehicles carrying vaccines may not be able to reach areas in the northern half of Scotland and pensioners may be unable to leave their homes to attend vaccination centres if the weather becomes ‘challenging’ as is expected. 

The UK now faces five days of snow and ice, with three yellow weather warnings for snow for today covering most of Scotland and northern England, meaning drivers risk becoming stranded and power cuts are possible.