Severn Trent has issued more storm and flooding advice to customers as Storm Darragh is set to hit the Midlands over the weekend.
To make sure people are as prepared as they can be for another period of heavy rainfall, the company is sharing advice to help reduce any impact of flooding on people’s homes and to ensure they know who to contact:
- For flooding on roads, small rivers and streams – You should contact your local council to report flooding on roads or blocked drains or grates on highways. They will also help you with groundwater surface flooding, as well as flooding in streams, brooks and small rivers.
- For major river flooding – The Environment Agency will be able to help you if you are at risk of flooding due to rising river levels. You can find more information and contact details on their website. Their Floodline number is 0345 988 1188.
- For sewer flooding or flooding due to burst pipes – If the flooding is coming from the public sewer, you will need to contact us. If the flooding is due to heavy rain, we may need to wait for the floodwater to subside before we can investigate. You should also contact your insurer so they can provide help and advice.
Steve Betteridge, Head of Waste Network Operations at Severn Trent, said: “We know just how distressing any form of flooding can be, and with more extreme weather events on the horizon being driven by climate change, we want to make sure that our customers are as prepared as possible if we see a return of last year’s stormy conditions.”
Storms can produce different kinds of flooding events, with surface water on streets potentially resulting from blocked roadside drains, ground saturation, or when the amount of rain falling overwhelms the capacity of the sewers.
Steve added: “If the flooding is rainwater, it should subside on its own once the weather starts to clear and it stops raining. But if you see sewer flooding from a public drain or manhole, you should contact us and we’ll send someone out as soon as possible.”
There are a few steps that people can take to help keep their homes flood-free during stormy conditions:
- Empty any water butts in the garden before the rain starts; this will help reduce the rainwater flow into the drains when a storm arrives.
- Check that your home and garden drains are free-flowing – clear out any leaves or other waste so rainwater can more easily flow away.
- Check the roadside drains around your house and clear any leaves or debris that you can – or get in touch with your local council if they are blocked.
Any experience of flooding can be stressful, but Severn Trent suggests that this can be eased by knowing who to call in the event of flooding taking place.
Steve continued: “Knowing who to contact the first time can save a lot of worry and help to ensure that the right calls are able to get through. People might naturally think of contacting Severn Trent first, but it could be another agency that they need to speak to.
“We can help when it comes to sewer flooding from public drains or manholes, while the Environment Agency are the right people to contact if a river bursts its banks, and your local council can assist with blocked roadside drains or overflowing small streams and brooks.”
Sewer flooding can be more likely if people have disposed of the wrong things down the drain. Items like tampons, wet wipes, sanitary products, nappies flushed down the toilet, and fats, oils, and grease from the kitchen can all contribute to forming blockages in sewers, leaving sewage with nowhere else to go.
Steve added: “To help keep the sewer pipes in your neighbourhood flowing freely, you should only ever flush the three Ps – pee, poo, and paper – down the loo. Scrape any sauces, gravy, and food scraps from plates into the bin instead of rinsing them down the sink, and cooking oil should be poured into a bottle and then thrown away.”
