Key announcements

Due to maintenance, some of our online forms and systems will be unavailable from 6:00am on Saturday 30 March to 7:00am on Monday 1 April. We are sorry for any inconvenience. To find out more about the section 114 notice, visit our section 114 page

Preparing for flooding

Flooding is commonly associated with rising water and burst rivers, but often heavy downpours can cause flooding in our streets, homes and businesses.

Types of flooding

  • Fluvial flooding (river flooding)
    Occurs when a river/stream cannot cope with the amount of water or is blocked
  • Pluvial flooding (surface water flooding)
    Occurs during heavy rainfall when the drainage/sewer system cannot cope
  • Sewer flooding
    Occurs when a sewer pipe gets blocked or equipment fails
  • Reservoir flooding
    Occurs when a dam fails or during extreme rainfall

Flooding can pose a serious hazard to lives and property. There are many simple precautions you can take to minimise the damage caused by flooding:

  • check you have sufficient insurance cover for your home and vehicle
  • protect your home with flood defences if necessary
  • prepare a "grab bag" of essential items in case you need to leave in a hurry
  • prepare an emergency plan and discuss it with your family
  • stock up on food and bottled water in case you cannot get to the shops

Check the flood risk to your property

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