Flood risk and response
One of the key difficulties with flooding response and preparedness that I have heard from residents in Runnymede in Weybridge is the complexity of who to contact in the event of an issue. Several bodies have responsibilities for flooding including Runnymede and Elmbridge Borough Councils, Surrey County Council, the Local Resilience Forum, and the Environment Agency. Below is a guide of who to contact currently, but as part of my work on flooding I have pushed for a more joined-up response that will see one Flood Contact Centre number for residents to call.
Who is responsible:
River Flooding
You can keep up to date with the latest flood risk situation - call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or follow @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest flood updates.
If flooding is to your property and you are in an emergency situation, please dial 999 for Fire and Rescue.
To report concerns about main river flooding (the River Thames, the Chertsey and Addlestone Bourne, the River Wey, the Meadlake Ditch, the Moat, the Hurst Ditch and the Rive Ditch), call the Environment Agency:
- General enquiry line: 08708 506506
- Emergency hotline: 0800 807060
- Floodline: 0345 988 1188
- E-mail: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
To sign up for the Environment Agency’s flood warning alerts in your area, please visit here: https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings
For non-main river flooding, contact Surrey County Council on: 03456 009 009
For canals, contact Basingstoke Canal Authority on: 01252 370073
Surface and Groundwater Flooding
Surrey County Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority for the whole of Surrey.
For an emergency that threatens public safety, you can:
- Call: 0300 200 1003
- Email: contact.centre@surreycc.gov.uk
- Textphone (via Text Relay): 18001 0300 200 1003
- SMS: 07860 053 465
- VRS: Sign Language Video Relay Service
You can also report issues online by vsiting their website portal on flooding :https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/community/emergency-planning-and-community-…
Highways
If a highway is flooding or flooding is being caused by water from highways, it is the responsibility of Surrey County Council. Drains and gullies on public highways are also maintained by Surrey County Council.
For an emergency that threatens public safety, you can call the 24 hour hotline on: 0300 200 1003
To report any Highways issue to Surrey County Council, visit their website portal:
https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roadworks-and-maintenance/report-a-highway-problem
Sewage Flooding
For sewage and waste water flooding, Thames Water are responsible for the vast majority of the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency. Thames Water can be contacted on: 0800 316 9800
Flooding from Manholes in the road should also be reported to Surrey County Council Highways to ensure road safety is maintained on: 03456 009 009
Visit Surrey's website portal on flooding :https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/community/emergency-planning-and-community-…
How can you get involved?
The National Flood Forum is a charity to help, support and represent people at risk of flooding, It provides recovery and support services to those who have experienced flooding, information and advice, professional training, and supports community action for those who face regular flooding risk and those who are looking to set up Flood Action Groups. Please visit their website at: National Flood Forum – A charity to help, support and represent people at risk of flooding.
Be prepared
For further information about how to ensure you are prepared should flooding occur, please view the links below:
- How to prepare for a flood incident: Prepare for a flood – Runnymede Borough Council
- Identify flood risk in your area: Check the long term flood risk for an area in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Sign up for the Flood Alert service: https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings
- How to prepare your personal flood plan: Personal flood plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Flood protection measures: Protecting your property – National Flood Forum
- Information regarding flood insurance: Flood Re - A flood re-insurance scheme
Water safety
While we enjoy our many lakes and rivers across the constituency, they do also present a risk, so we should all know what to do in a water emergency. Below are links to a number of sites containing information about water safety, open water swimming and even how to access swimming lessons.
Swimming and water safety advice and information
The Water Safety Code provides essential and easy-to-remember information to help people plan for their activity and understand what they should do in an emergency. You can find more information about the Code here: What is the Water Safety Code? - Swim England Learn to Swim Companion (swimming.org)
Open water swimming can be a great experience, but does carry different risks. You can find out more about open water swimming and how to make sure you are safe and prepared here:
- Open water swimming | Safety on our waterways | Canal & River Trust (canalrivertrust.org.uk)
- Wild swimming | The Rivers Trust
- nationalwatersafety.org.uk/media/1145/open-water-swimming.pdf
- OSS top 10 tips for safe summer swimming – Outdoor Swimming Society Outdoor Swimming Society
Some organisations provide additional support as well as advice. The RNLI offer free Swim Safe Sessions, which you can learn about here: Swim Safe - Beach and Water Safety Sessions for Children (rnli.org)
