Flood Help & Advice

It's important you react quickly but calmly once you've been warned of an imminent flood. There are a number of simple steps you can take to protect you against floods and reduce potential damage to your property.

• Put plugs into sinks and weight them down with something heavy.
• Turn off your water, gas and electricity supplies to prevent contamination or fire.
• Unplug all electrical items and store upstairs or as high up as possible.
• Disconnect all appliances connected to pipes in case they move during flooding.
• Place sandbags around all doorways, airbricks and windows but make sure you leave adequate room for ventilation.
• Move as much furniture as you can upstairs, alternatively raise them up on bricks or blocks and move them away from the wall – this helps when drying your property later. If some pieces are too large to carry, weigh them down to ensure they don't float around and cause further damage.
• Silicone sealant – open doors and windows, smear a layer of this around the frame, then shut and lock the door/window.
• Empty the contents of any chests of drawers or cupboards too heavy to move, into boxes and store upstairs.
• Think about permanently moving sentimental items upstairs so you do not forget them in case of a flood.
• If you can, roll up rugs and carpets and put them upstairs.
• If there is no time to take down curtains, hang them over the rail so they are kept above the flood water.
• Leave internal doors open or ideally remove them and store them upstairs.
• Outside the house, move anything not fixed down to a safer location, barbecue, dustbins or similar.
• Move your car to high ground to avoid damage.
• Weigh down manhole covers outside the house to prevent them floating away and leaving a hazardous hole.
• Keep important personal documents in a sealed bag and in a location safe from floodwater.
• Keep details of your insurance policy somewhere safe.

Most Importantly your first priority should be to ensure that you and your loved ones are safe, secure and away from any risk of harm.

Useful Links

Met Office - weather warnings
Environment Agency - offers a flood warning alert service by telephone and lots of practical advice
CIRIA - advice on what to do if your home is flooded
CILA helpful leaflets on flood repair to download
Highways Agency - latest traffic updates if you are planning to travel through affected areas
Health Protection Agency - advice on reducing health risks from flooding
Local Councils - search for and contact your local council
Scottish Environment Agency

Useful Telephone Numbers

Environment Agency Floodline - 0845 988 1188  

Highways Agency Information Line - 08457 504030    

Emergency services – 999

Remember:

• The Police co-ordinate emergency services and help with evacuation from flood areas.
• The Fire Service is responsible for life saving, rescue and recovery. They will also help with pumping out floodwater, for which there may be a charge.

Remember, you can call the Environment Agency Floodline on 0845 988 1188 any time, day or night, for real-time flood warnings and advice.

Click here for some help for our customers affected by the recent floods.