Flooding and drainage

If you are experiencing flooding

• To report a blocked drain or sewer call Thames Water on 0800 316 9800 or visit the Thames Water website, or use our report flooding and blocked drains form
• Check for flooding in England on the Gov.uk website
• Flood warnings on the Environment Agency website 
• Call Floodline on 0345 988 11 88 for advice on river flooding
• Check our website for the latest road closures on our Roadworks page
• If you need to be evacuated – or have any immediate concerns about your safety, please ring 999. Otherwise, below are steps you can take:

1. Follow advice provided by the Flood Warning service, if issued, including:

• Moving vehicles out of flood risk areas, if safe to do so. 
• Put in place any physical flood defences or sandbags you have
• Prepare an emergency grab bag

2. If flood water is likely to enter your home:

• Close and lock downstairs windows and doors. Keep the keys safely to hand and move upstairs.
• Turn off electricity, water and gas supplies 
• Move important items to safety

3. Monitor for updates from your local radio station, the Council and emergency services’ social media accounts, and any local flood wardens. You can call ​​​​​​​Floodline for advice on 0345 988 1188
4. Stay in your property if it is safe to do so but be prepared to move out should you be asked to by the emergency services or council staff. Remember to have your grab bag ready
5.  Stay away from floodwater and avoid driving or walking through it. Moving water, even if shallow, could knock people off their feet and float cars. You may also not be able to see hazards in the water, such as sewage, toxic substances, debris, sharp objects, or holes

If you have been flooded

• Do not return to your home until you are told it is safe to do so
• Contact your insurance company to start the claims process
• If you come into contact with floodwater, wash any exposed skin with bottled or cool boiled water before handling food or looking after wounds. Flood water often has sewage and other materials in it which may lead to infections and illness
• Clean and dry your property safely – using the advice on the Gov.uk website
• Don’t underestimate the stress and strain of recovering from a flood – take time to consider mental health and wellbeing. Read our mental health support page to understand what mental health support you can access
• Further advice can be found on the What to do after a flood Gov.uk page

To prepare for flooding

• Find out the flood risk to your area - Check the long term flood risk for an area in England - Gov.uk page
• Sign up to flood alerts and warnings and Met Office weather warnings
• Purchase and store sandbags in advance. Residents are encouraged to obtain their own sandbags, for example local Builders Merchants, as the Council is unable to supply these to every property. See our Sandbag Policy below, for more information.  
• There may be a local flood warden or a flood group in your area who supports communities at risk of flooding. Check with your town or parish council 
• Did you know you can work with your neighbours to create a community flood plan? For more information see our Advice for community groups
• Emergency grab bag:  Prepare an emergency grab bag, with essential items such as medications, a torch, a first aid kit, a wind-up or battery radio, drinking water, mobile phone charger, and any important documents such as your home insurance. 
• Emergency plan:  Does your household have an emergency plan? The Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum has some great advice in its Are You Ready booklet on various types of emergencies. Gov.uk also has a personal flood plan which is a helpful template to get you started: Personal flood plan - Gov.uk website

Household emergency plans should consider:

• Escape routes out of your home
• Where you might stay if you needed to evacuate your home
• Emergency contact details
• How to turn off your gas, water and electricity
• What you would do with your pets if something happened
   
• Property level protection: There are steps you can take to reduce the risk and impact flooding can have on your property by installing Property Level Protection measures. The National Flood Forum is a great source of information on this Protecting your property – National Flood Forum
• Priority service register: Did you know that if you meet certain criteria like being of state pension age, having a disability, recovering from an injury, having young children or being pregnant, you can sign up to the Priority Service Registers for utility companies to get additional support. Learn more about the criteria on our Priority services page

Sandbag Policy

The primary responsibility for protecting property from the risk of flooding rests with the Property Owner. 

The Environment Agency takes great effort to notify property owners in flood risk areas of the risks they face. They encourage you to make plans to protect yourself and your property. We support this approach and would urge you to follow the advice of the Environment Agency. 

We have access to a small number of sandbags, in the event of a flood. Unfortunately we don’t have the resources to protect every property and in these cases, priorities have to be made. With this in mind, we have an official Sandbag Policy (PDF.) The policy provides clear guidance to residents of the conditions that will apply when we provides sandbags. Through this policy residents, communities, businesses and town and parish councils are encouraged to obtain their own sandbags. These can be purchased sandbags from a local Builders Merchants for example.