Flooding

Our Environmental Protection & Drainage Team work closely with Essex County Council, the surrounding town and parish councils and the Environment agency to ensure our district is prepared in case of a flooding risk.

The District Council maintain several flood storage areas which capture water and slow the flow into rivers and watercourses. We also maintain a number of storm grills that protect highway culverts under roads at key points. We maintain these grills and ensure they are clear of debris that could cause a blockage.

In Essex, certain responsibilities lie with the District Council and some lie with the County Council. Highways responsibilities related to drainage on most roads such as blocked highway drains are mostly the responsibility of Essex Highways. The Statuary Sewerage Undertaker for the District is Thames Water who maintain shared foul and surface water sewers across the district.

If you are experiencing flooding issues or are concerned that your property may be at risk then please use the following guidance to get you to the right area for help as quickly as possible.

• If the flooding is from a raised manhole cover visit the Thames Water website or call 0800 3169800.
• If the flooding is from a road gulley drain or storm drain contact visit the Essex County Council website or call 0345 6037631.
• If your house is flooding please call our customer contact centre on 01992 564000 and an operator will respond to your call as quickly as possible.
• If you are in a life-threatening situation from flooding and request the fire service, then call 999 as the District Council is not an emergency response service.

Are you at risk of flooding?

Flooding can come from a number of sources including rivers, runoff from land and roads, groundwater and reservoirs.

The Environment Agency have produced maps which show if you are in an area likely to flood

What can I do if I am at risk of flooding?

If you are at risk of flooding, we advise being prepared with sandbags. Residents and businesses can take steps to ensure their property is at reduced risk of flooding such as ensuring drains and gullies on your property is cleared, having a plan in case of storm warnings and being prepared with mitigation measures such as sandbags.

• Sign up to get warnings in from the Environment Agency by phone, email or text message if your home or business is at risk of flooding from a river. The service is free.
• Sign up to get weather warnings from the Met Office by email. The service is free and will provide an update for weather warnings and severe weather warnings for your area.
• Visit the Environment agency website for information on how to ‘Prepare for flooding’.
• Visit the Gov.uk Flood Information Service website to monitor local rivers for flood warnings and alerts.