Protect yourself from flooding
You can take steps to protect yourself from the risk of flooding. The following resources can help you be prepared:
- prepare for any emergency by following our P.L.A.N advice
- check if your area may be at risk of flooding by using the Environment Agency’s postcode search
- sign up for flood warnings at on the GOV.UK website or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or Typetalk 0345 602 6340
- subscribe to Met Office weather alerts via their website
- visit the Environment Agency website which contains details of river level and flooding information
- visit Thames Water’s website to view their network updates
- follow the Environment Agency on Twitter for updates @EnvAgencySE
- find out more about what the Council is doing to reduce the risk of flooding in the borough
Protect your property from flooding
If a flood alert or warning is issued for your area, you can take a number of precautions to protect your home or business and to minimise any damage:
Indoors
- put any sentimental, valuable or irreplaceable items upstairs or on high shelves or cupboards
- turn off gas, electricity and water at the mains
- unplug all electrical items and store them upstairs, or if you do not have an upstairs then place them high up on shelves or cupboards
- put the plugs in your sinks and then weigh them down so they cannot move, to stop the drains backing up
- move as much furniture as you can upstairs or raise them up on bricks or blocks
- move furniture away from walls - this helps when drying your property later
- roll up carpets and rugs and put them upstairs, or if you do not have an upstairs then place them high up on shelves or cupboards
- remove curtains or hang them up over the rail so they are kept above flood water
- disconnect any equipment that uses water (e.g. washing machines)
- keep important personal documents, including your home insurance documents, in a sealed bag, and in a location safe from floodwater
Outdoors
- cover doors, windows, and airbricks with materials such as plywood, floorboards or metal sheeting
- move dustbins, garden chemicals, gas cylinders, or anything else not fixed down, to a safer location
- move your car, motorbike, or any other vehicle to higher ground to avoid risk of damage
- weigh down drainage inspection chambers outside your home to prevent them floating away and leaving a hazardous hole
Visit the Environment Agency website – What to do before, during, and after a flood
Owning land or property next to a river, stream, or ditch
If you own land or property next to a river, stream, or ditch you are a ‘riparian landowner’.
Find out more about 'riparian landowner' rights and responsibilities