Flooding

Flooding can have devastating and long-term impacts on people's lives. Preparing before a flood, and knowing what to do when it happens, can help reduce these impacts.

This page covers a range of flooding advice:

What to do during a flood

Call 999 if there is an imminent risk to life or property.
Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for advice (24-hour service).
Standby for advice from emergency services - you may be asked to evacuate.
Contingency plans, including Rest Centres, are in place if there is a need to evacuate residents.
If your home is flood damaged and you're not able to live there, contact us for help getting temporary accommodation.
Do not walk or drive through flood water. Flood water may contain sewage and hide rubbish, wreckage, uneven roads and pavements or broken drain and manhole covers.

Report a flood or an electrical or gas problem

To report:

Flooding on roads or pavements (e.g. overflowing drains and gullies) contact Cambridgeshire County Council.
Flooding in a property, home or garden, contact Cambridgeshire County Council.
Flooding from water pipes or sewers, contact Anglian Water.
Flooding from a main river or the sea, contact the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
An electrical hazard or power cut, contact UK Power Networks or call 105.
A gas leak, contact the National Gas hotline on 0800 111 999.

Actions you can take when flooding is imminent

Floodwater rises rapidly if there is a flood warning. Don't hope for the best, act early.

Check for flooding and sign up to receive flood warnings.
Turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies, if it's safe to do so - do not touch an electrical switch if you're standing in water.
Move your family, vehicles, pets and important items to safety, for example upstairs or to higher ground.
If you have them, use flood protection products, for example flood barriers, sandbags or air brick covers.
Shut windows and lock doors.
Pack essential items you will need if evacuated - medication, clothing, toiletries and items for children.
Empty freezers and refrigerators if you can, leaving doors open.
Check for updates on the local radio, television news or emergency services and local authority social media sites.
Leave the area if instructed to do so by the emergency services.

Actions you can take to be prepared for flooding

You can't always stop flooding. However, you can reduce its impact by planning ahead.

If you live in a flood risk area, do what you can now to reduce the risk to yourself and your property. Don't wait until flooding occurs as you may not have enough time to do anything.

Check if you're at risk of flooding.
Sign up to receive flood warnings by phone, text or email.
Make a personal flood plan for you and those around you.
Organisations can also make a community or group flood plan and businesses a business flood plan.
Consider packing a 'grab bag' of essentials in advance. This could include any medication you need, a first aid kit and important documents, as well as items such as a torch, bottled water, warm waterproof clothing, and baby care items. Store the bag somewhere you can easily get to.
Know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies.
Make a list of important contact numbers.
Get adequate buildings and contents insurance cover. Guidance is available from the Environment Agency.
Stock up on sandbags. Councils do not generally provide a sandbag service to residents. It is the responsibility of residents to protect their own properties from flooding. Residents concerned about flooding can purchase sandbags from builders merchants. Plastic bags filled with soil are also a good alternative.
Create a simple flood defence:

Check how many ground floor doors, patio doors, catflaps and airbricks there are in your home.
Get enough plastic sheeting to cover all of these gaps. Leave a minimum 80cm overlap around the edges. For doors, cut plywood (or a similar material) to cover the doorway and hold the sheeting in place.
Get bags that can be filled with sand or soil. These will hold the sheeting in contact with the ground.

Flood risk management

Cambridgeshire County Council is a Lead Local Flood Authority (under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010) and is responsible for managing:

Surface water flooding - includes rainfall that runs off surfaces such as roads, roofs and patio.
Ordinary watercourses - includes flooding from drains and ditches, but excludes main rivers that are managed by the Environment Agency.
Groundwater flooding - includes flooding caused by heavy and continuous rain capable of increasing groundwater levels.

The Environment Agency is responsible for managing flooding from critical watercourses and main rivers and for emergency response.

Landowners/property owners are responsible is responsible for ditches and watercourses and piped watercourses and culverts.

Anglian Water is responsible for flooding from public sewers and foul sewers.

Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) are responsible for maintaining the land drains that channel away excess water from farmland. They are also responsible for managing water levels in low lying areas like the Fens.