George and Amal Clooney desert their £20m Berkshire mansion for a new life in France after severe flooding submerges sprawling riverside garden

George Clooney's neighbours say the star appears to have deserted his £15million Oxfordshire mansion with his back garden underwater to start a new life in the sunnier climes of the South of France.

Neighbours living near the Hollywood star in the picturesque village in Berkshire on the banks of the River Thames say they haven't seen George, 62, or his lawyer wife Amal, 46, for months.

The actor's home has been hit by Britain's torrential rain - and the back garden has been flooded twice in the last 13 months with the river bursting its banks after one of the wettest Februarys on record.

Meanwhile the Ocean's Eleven star and his wife were recently pictured stepping out in more benign weather in Provence and are believed to have relocated with their two children to their stunning French mansion, Domaine Le Canadel, in the medieval village of Birgnoles.

George Clooney 's neighbours say the star appears to have deserted his £15million Oxfordshire mansion with his back garden underwater to start a new life in the South of France

Amal was pictured earlier this month in France with her St Bernard puppy called Nelson, a 46th birthday gift from her husband 

Back in Oxfordshire, people say they can 'totally understand' their decision to move because they can't even access their garden, which sits beneath four feet of water.

Helen Moore, a resident, said she used to see George all the time when he first moved to the village, but no longer.

She told MailOnline: 'You'd see him out and about in the village with Amal and the kids, but we haven't seen them for several months. But you can't really blame him because the weather's been awful and the whole area has been severely affected by flooding, especially his house.

'If I had a place in the South of France or anywhere else that's a bit drier, I'd have also gone there. But that's not an option for most of us.'

Wendy Boonaert, who is originally from South Africa but has been living in the village for more than 20 years, said: 'You can't fault this village and the surrounding area because it's very beautiful. But the rain has not helped, it's made life very difficult.

'We could also do with a bit more heat so I can understand why George may have left. There are a lot of rich and famous people living around here and I hope he comes back but at the moment, he's probably better off in the South of France.'

With temperatures ranging from 4C to 8C this week and more wet weather on the way, locals claimed that the Clooneys are unlikely to be seen any time soon at their property, which is located on a private island surrounded by the River Thames.

Flood warnings remain in place and the level of the Thames running past the 17th century manor is at 12 feet, almost double what it normally is.

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The Hollywood star has had little luck with his British property, which he purchased in 2014 (pictured in 2016 and last year in the flooding) 

Last month, a narrow bridge that leads to the luxurious property had to close because of flooding and many locals also lost electricity

Flood warnings remain in place and the level of the Thames running past the 17th century manor is at 12 feet, almost double what it normally is

The actor's home has been hit by Britain's torrential rain - and the back garden has been flooded twice in the last 13 months with the river bursting its banks 

Neighbours living near the Hollywood star in the picturesque village in Berkshire on the banks of the River Thames say they haven't seen George, 62, or his lawyer wife Amal, 46, for months

Back in Oxfordshire, people say they can 'totally understand' their decision to move because they can't even access their garden, which sits beneath four feet of water

One resident said they used to see George all the time when he first moved to the village, but no longer

With temperatures ranging from 4C to 8C this week and more wet weather on the way, locals claimed that the Clooneys are unlikely to be seen any time soon at their property

Last month, a narrow bridge that leads to the luxurious property had to close because of flooding and many locals also lost electricity.

Jessica Sherratt, who was out walking her dog along the Thames said: 'Large parts of the path are flooded, so I can't even do my normal walk. A few weeks ago, lots of residents had to go to a local restaurant to eat because there was no electricity in their homes.

'As lovely as George's house is, you wouldn't want to be in it surrounded by so much water so if you can go to somewhere else, then why not? It's probably also dangerous for their kids.'

She added: 'Problems with flooding in this area have been getting worse each year and it's happening a lot more regularly, which has had a huge impact on our lives.'

By contrast the temperature in Brignoles this week will reach a high of 17C with little chance of rain, making it an ideal winter destination for Clooney, Amal and their six-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, who have been making the most of their luxurious French bolthole. 

Amal was pictured earlier this month in France with her St Bernard puppy called Nelson, a 46th birthday gift from her husband.

A bad bout of flooding saw the whole of the Clooney's garden underwater in 2021

The Clooney's home was hit by flooding in 2018, submerging the lawn

The Clooneys' enchanting and sprawling 18th century mansion is set in a 25-acre vineyard and boasts a pool, tennis court, boules pitch, vast gardens, an ornamental lake and an olive grove. Clooney bought the stunning property, which is surrounded by lavender fields, for £6.5 million in August 2021.

If the weather in Provence was to take a turn for the worse, Clooney also has the option of heading off to Italy to his luxurious home on the banks of Lake Como, which he purchased in 2002 and is now valued at close to £80million.

But thanks to traditional wet weather, the Hollywood star has had little luck with his British property, which he purchased in 2014.

The mansion comes with its own private boathouse, gym, spa, 12-seat home cinema and swimming pool. It reportedly underwent an 18-month renovation before the actor and his family with human rights lawyer wife moved in.

Since then, it has been affected by flooding on at least six occasions, causing severe damage to the grounds but not internally.

The Clooneys were hit by flooding in January 2023 when the tennis court, veranda and most of the previously luscious lawn was submerged by filthy flood water from the nearby river.

Storm Christoph in January 2021 saw flood water seep onto the lawn - but the deluge stopped short of the house itself.

February 2020's Storm Dennis left the Hollywood star's tennis courts, the veranda of his summer house and most of his lawn completely underwater.

In 2018 the lawn was swamped by water after three inches of rain fell over the April bank holiday weekend. And 2016 saw weeks of heavy rain saw the Thames burst its banks and spill into the garden, threatening to encroach on the house shortly after its multi-million-pound renovation.

Local resident Max, who did not want to give his last name, said: 'It is a very exclusive and expensive area and there are a lot of wealthy people living here. But no matter how famous or rich you are, you can't control the weather. Not even George Clooney can stop it from raining.

'All this flooding must have had an impact on the value of his property. If he was to sell, who would want to spend millions on a home that gets flooded every year?'