If you are worried about flooding, this page contains useful information and links:

  • It is a property or business owner's responsibility to protect their premises from flooding.

Plan how you'll respond to a flood. Use the following links to download a template:

Sandbags

Telford & Wrekin Council have a very limited supply of sandbags; we will provide up to 10 of these on a discretionary basis to help prevent internal property flooding where highway drainage is the principal source of flooding. Delivery could take up to 10 days. We are not able to provide sandbags as an emergency response and will not provide sandbags if you are flooding from surface water, a public sewers or from a river. Please note we are not able to provide sandbags to prevent garages and gardens from flooding. If you feel at risk or require more than 10 sandbags, contact your local Builders Merchant to purchase your own.

Do sandbags work?

Traditionally, sandbags have been used to block doorways, drains and other openings into properties as well as to weigh-down manhole covers, garden furniture and to block sink, toilet and bath drains to prevent water backing up.

  • They can keep water out for short periods which can be improved by using them in conjunction with plastic sheeting.
  • They can filter out some muddy sediments found in flood waters.
  • They are cheap and easy to obtain.
  • However, sandbags are relatively ineffective when compared to purpose-designed flood protection products.

here are affordable options for flood insurance.

Flood Re

Flood Re is a joint government and insurance industry initiative to enable you to find affordable insurance for qualifying properties that are at risk of flooding or have been flooded.

Flood Re takes on the high flood risk elements of home insurance. Home insurers pay an annual tax which is collected and centrally managed. The high flood risk part of your policy is passed to Flood Re by your insurance company. If a valid claim is made on your insurance, Flood Re will reimburse the insurer from the centrally managed fund. More information can be found on the Flood Re website.

Unfortunately, Flood Re is currently only available for homes and not businesses.

Finding an insurer

A list of insurers signed up to Floor Re are available on the Flood Re website. 

If you are still struggling, The National Flood Forum can advise on how to get insurance and how to reduce your premium/excess.

The British Insurance Broker’s Association has details of brokers that specialise in properties that are difficult to insure.

The government has also put together a guidance document ‘Obtaining flood insurance in high risk areas’.

Insurance related request letter

Insurance companies may ask for an Insurance Related Request Letter if your property is at risk of flooding. The information will be used to determine whether they will insure you and how much it will cost.

The letter is free of charge for individuals and £60 for businesses, and will be sent within 20 working days. The letter is available by request directly from the Environment Agency.

The letter will explain:

  • if your property is in a flood risk area
  • how likely the area is to flood
  • the protection given by local flood defences
  • if there are any planned flood defences.

Flood risk report

If flood protection work has been carried out on your property, you or a surveyor can complete a Flood Risk Report to advise insurers how the work affects the flood risk.

  • Flooding from the rivers Tern, Perry, Roden or Severn - The Environment Agency offers a free flood alert system called Floodline which you can register for on 0845 988 1188. Floodline provides flood warnings direct to you by phone, text or email. It also provides practical advice on preparing for a flood, and what to do if one happens.
  • Flooding from the Coalbrook in Coalbrookdale - request to be added to the list by completing our online form - you will need to select Data Request/Coalbrookdale flood warning list/be added to warning list.
  • Flooding from heavy rain and surface water - Keep an eye on the Met Office website and beware of any warnings.

Last updated : 26 November 2024

If you rent your home

Your landlord is responsible for repairs to your home if you’ve got flood damage.

Get advice from:

Clean up and safety

Contact your insurance and make sure you take photos!

The below links contain information about what to do if you are flooded and how to clean up after a flood, use the links to find out more:

Dehumidifiers – your insurance will provide however if you are not insured voluntary organisations may be able to provide some.

More information:

Report to the Council

Understanding impacts helps us prioritise and may feed into future flood risk management schemes.

Report online

Community support, mental health and wellbeing

We understand that experiencing a flood can be frightening and stressful. Please click on the links below which offer helpful advice and support:

Also check out your local community groups to see if anyone in your area is offering additional aid.

Grants

Central government sometimes release flood grants and if Telford and Wrekin are eligible we will advertise this to properties and businesses who have reported internal flooding.

If you flooded internally from Storm Babet in October 2023 you may be eligible to apply for the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Recovery Support Scheme Grant - to find out more and check eligibility please visit our Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Recovery Support Scheme Grant page.

Last updated : 26 November 2024

Section 19 flood reports

What is a Section 19 flood investigation report?

Under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, Telford & Wrekin Council as the lead local flood authority (LLFA), has a duty to investigate incidents of flooding. The act states that:

  • On becoming aware of a flood in its area, a lead local flood authority must, to the extent that it considers it necessary or appropriate, investigate:
    • which risk management authorities have relevant flood risk management functions, and
    • whether each of those risk management authorities has exercised, or is proposing to exercise, those functions in response to the flood.

Where an authority carries out an investigation under subsection 1 it must:

  • publish the results of its investigation, and
  • notify any relevant risk management authorities.

Below guidance is given on what Telford and Wrekin consider as a 'significant' flood event but importantly flood events which don't meet this criteria will still be investigated and addressed as council resources allow.

What is the purpose of a Section 19 (S19) report?

Following large scale flood events it can be very difficult to ascertain exactly which flood source has affected properties and therefore which Risk Management Authority (RMA) is responsible for managing this particular source. Thus a S19 report aims to identify sources of flooding and the flood mechanism and then to notify the responsible RMA of these findings.

It is essential that the resources committed to the investigation of flood events are appropriate in relation to the severity of each event, and the risk of reoccurrence. For that reason Telford & Wrekin Council will only formally investigate flood events if one of the following criteria is met:

A flood is deemed significant to Telford & Wrekin Council if it:

  • causes internal flooding to 3 or more residential properties, or
  • causes internal flooding to 2 or more business premises, or
  • flooded one or more items of critical infrastructure, or
  • caused a transport link to be totally impassable for a significant period.

A Section 19 report will not be completed if the flood source is a known cause, with a known responsible RMA, even if the above criteria are met.

What is and isn't included in a S19 report?

  • A S19 report will not identify solutions or mitigation options which should be implemented in order to prevent flooding in a particular location.
  • A S19 report will not decide blame for a flood event.
  • A S19 report will to an appropriate extent investigate the most likely causes of flooding at a particular location considering water sources and flood infrastructure.
  • A S19 report will identify any flood risk management authorities who have responsibilities in relation to a flood, what actions they have taken to exercise their duties and what actions they plan to carry out in future.

How will we publish the results of Section 19 reports?

Compliance with the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 requires that we publish the findings of any S19 report and share with other RMAs.

A list of published S19 reports can be found below once published.

Last updated : 26 November 2024