With many across Reading experiencing property flooding, one such resident has managed to avoid the crisis despite living directly on the River Thames.

Tom Luke, who lives in Reading’s first luxury floating apartment, has said that he and his alternative to a houseboat are absolutely fine.

“The mooring flooded,” he said. “Which meant I needed to build a bridge to get on and off or use waders but that aside, there have been no issues.”

Mr Luke, who works in tech, lives with his dog Molly on “Astro” which floats on the River Thames and can be seen from Caversham Bridge.

From the outside, the floating apartment appears both modern and luxurious with panelled wood and floor-to-ceiling windows.

He said: “The boat just floats up & down with the river level, so there's no risk of flooding. It's been dry and cosy here with the air source heat pump on. It’s 23 degrees in here right now.

“Other than getting on and off and the fact that the river is flowing quickly I don't even notice the difference.”

The apartment has two large bedrooms, a bathroom, a living space with a sofa, a coffee table, a dining table, an L-shaped kitchen, and three outside deck areas.

Mr Luke considered living in a houseboat when work started on his house which would last 10 months, meaning that he needed to find somewhere else to stay for the duration.

“I looked at several houseboats,” he said. “But found them small, cold, and cramped so floating apartments crossed my mind.”

Mr Luke designed the apartment himself and built it with help from his now business partner Mr Martin Gonzales, who had been a presenter on Cowboy Builders.

The pair now owns Berkshire’s first apartment boat building company.

He said: “If I sold my one tomorrow it would cost £175,000, but that’s the higher end of what we can do.

“Our long-term vision is to build floating villages. We currently have a housing crisis and could build on lakes that no one is using for anything.

“We could make something highly ecological where people can rent or buy. We would also make this accessible to everyone.”

The front deck is very spacious with a covering to shield from the rain and a BBQ. Mr Luke has recently hosted 10 people who were all able to fit comfortably on the deck.

The rear deck can be accessed from the master bedroom and has a swing chair with beautiful views out onto the water.