Latest advice and guidance
If water is entering your property and you are in immediate danger, phone 999 and follow advice from the emergency services.
If your home is about to be flooded
If your area has a flood warning (when flooding is expected) or severe flood warning (when there is a danger to life) or you can see the water approaching your property:
- Turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies, if it is safe to do so. Do not touch an electrical switch if you are 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 or air brick covers.
- Check on vulnerable neighbours.
- If you need help and support, contact neighbours or nearby family and friends in the first instance. If your community has them, contact the local Flood Wardens or your Town or Parish Council emergency team.
To report flooding on a road or blocked drains on a road use our report a problem on a road form
For advice and information about preparing for or recovering from flooding, see our Preparing for flooding and After flooding pages.
If your property is owned by us and has been affected by flooding, please visit our Housing repairs page or you can phone us on 0300 123 2224.
Stay up-to-date with the latest travel updates using our Travel Somerset Twitter or our Roadworks and travel information page.
Useful contacts
- Find details of who to contact on our emergency contacts page
- For help pumping out water from your property, please contact the Fire Service.
- For advice on how to deal with flooding please phone Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or visit Somerset Prepared
- For details of flood warnings, please visit the Environment Agency’s website.
- Report flooding on a road, a blocked drain or mud on the road using our report a problem on a road form
- For information on emergency road closures, please visit Emergency road closure gates.
- For up-to-date information about adverse weather conditions affecting roads in Somerset, please visit our Roads, travel and parking section.
- Find Health advice from Public Health England
- For weather information, please visit the Met Office website.
- Find out what the flood warnings mean and what to do in a flood on GOV.UK
How to report flooding
You can use the below form to:
- report flooding to your property, surrounding areas or community
- identify support needed from us
The availability and timing of support will depend on the time of day and the priority of the things that need to be done.
If water is entering your property and you are in immediate danger, phone 999 and follow advice from the emergency services.
Property affected by flooding
We are not responsible for preventing flooding to private property. It is the owner’s responsibility to do this unless the situation is the result of something we have unreasonably done or not done.
If your property is owned by us and has been affected by flooding, please visit our Housing repairs page or you can phone us on 0300 123 2224.
You may find this Household Emergency Checklist and Emergency Plan useful to help you safely evacuate your property.
Temporary Accommodation
If you are made homeless as a result of flooding to a private property you should contact your insurance provider for support.
If you are made homeless as a result of flooding and your property is not insured or your property is owned by us, you should speak with our Housing teams on 0300 123 2224.
You can find more information on Emergency and temporary accommodation here.
Flood prevention and insurance
If you are concerned that your property could flood, please follow the advice on our Flood prevention page.
If you need help pumping water out of your property, please contact the Fire Brigade. You should also contact your insurance company as soon as possible to make them aware of the damage to your property. You can find information about insurance on our After flooding page.
Roads affected by flooding
We are responsible for keeping roads and pavements free of flooding that might cause a hazard or an obstruction to road users. We have a duty to keep the road network free from obstruction and safe for all to use.
You can report a problem on the road affected by flooding, including blocked drains, fallen trees, debris, hazards or mud on the road by visiting our Report a problem on the road page.
For up-to-date information about adverse weather affecting roads in Somerset, visit our Roadworks and travel information.
Find information on emergency road closure gates here.
Information about flooded roads and highways maintenance
Roads are built to drain water away, but sometimes they can still flood. This can happen because of heavy rain, low-lying areas, water from nearby fields, or rivers overflowing. Even if the drains are working well, these things can cause flooding. Puddles form in dips in the road and can be fixed by patching the surface. How quickly this work gets done depends on how urgent other tasks are and the resources available.
Highway gullies are cleaned once a year or more often if needed. If there is a chance of property flooding or water on the road being dangerous, please let us know.
Highway flooding can be dangerous and can damage the structure of the road. The main causes of flooding are a river rising, a blocked water course, a burst pipe, road water flooding, a blocked drain (gully), ditch or culvert, land surface water flooding off fields or natural spring water flooding.
Burst pipes, sewers and water mains
If the flooding is due to a burst pipe, you should contact your water supplier (the company to whom you pay your water rates). Property owners are responsible for preventing flooding to their properties. You can find out more on our drains and sewers page.
If your property is flooded with sewage internally or externally contact Wessex Water Sewage Floodline on 0345 850 5959 (24 hours)
If a flooded road is caused by a ruptured water main, the water company will be responsible for repairing the damage.
Bristol Water Leakline – 0800 801011
Wessex Water Leakstoppers – 0800 692 0 692
Flood water is contaminated with sewage and other sources of bacteria and chemicals. It is essential that you take precautions to protect yourself such as washing your hands if you come into direct contact with flood water or items that have been in floodwater. And make sure you clean your property effectively if you have been flooded. You can find out more on our After flooding page
Transport
Find details of public, school and care transport which has been affected by flooding in our Roads, travel and transport section.
List of school closures
When schools close you can find a list of schools which have let us know they are closed, or have restricted opening on our School closures page.
Care and support needs
If you or a member of your household are vulnerable and in receipt of care and support from us, we will continue to support you in the best way we can.
Help may also be available from our community support Village Agents for anyone requiring care support in the event of flooding. You can contact them on 01823 331222.
Waste collections
There may be localised disruption to collections due to flooding. You can find details of waste collections that have been missed because of flooding and what you should do if this has affected you.
If you need large items damaged by flooding to be collected from your property you can find out about Bulky Waste collections here.
Car parks, public parks and spaces
Phone us to report flooding in a Somerset Council owned car park or notify us of a hazard as a result of flooding on 0300 123 2224.
Floodline
This is a service provided by the Environment Agency, giving useful information on purchasing flood protection equipment as well as up-to-date flood warnings and advice. You can also request copies of their Preparing for a Flood, During a Flood and After a Flood information booklets.
Phone Floodline on 0345 988 1188
General advice
Driving advice
- Do not drive through deep water. Cars can stall and be washed away
- Drive at speeds appropriate to the weather conditions, and remember that surface water can cause aquaplaning
- If you are travelling a long distance, make sure you have clothing, blankets, food and drink in the car in case you are caught up in long delays
Other advice
- Do not enter moving water. Moving water 18 inches or 45 centimetres deep can knock an adult over.
- Be aware of the location of drain and manhole covers. Water pressure can lift them out of place leaving a hidden danger.
- All flood water is potentially contaminated. Do not allow children to play in it and make sure you wash yourself thoroughly if you have been in contact with flood water.
- Make sure, where possible, that drains and screens are clear of debris to allow water to flow away freely.
- Do not approach any power cables that have been brought down by the weather. They could be live and therefore dangerous.
- Check that pets and livestock kept outside can move freely and escape rising water.
- If you are travelling in remote areas, make sure family or friends know when you are leaving and your expected arrival time.
- Make sure mobile phones are fully charged – emergency calls are free even if you have no credit.
- Check to make sure elderly or vulnerable neighbours are safe.
- Do not put yourself at risk.
Find more advice on before, during and after flooding on the Somerset Prepared website.