Flooding
Report an incident of flooding or standing water
You can report flooding or standing water to us if it is caused by blocked roadside gullies, surface water, groundwater or an ordinary watercourse.
Report flooding or standing water to us
You can report an incident to us if:
- a roadside gully is blocked and causing flooding or standing water
- more than one roadside gully is blocked and causing flooding or standing water
- the flooding is from surface water or groundwater
- the flooding is from an ordinary watercourse, such as a minor river, stream or ditch that is not managed by the Environment Agency
Other types of flooding
Some types of flooding are managed by other organisations or by the property owner.
Blocked sewers and burst water mains
If flood water looks or smells like sewage, report it to Thames Water.
Report sewage flooding to Thames Water.
If flood water looks clean and there has not been any recent rain, it may be caused by a burst water main.
Report a burst water main to Thames Water.
If a burst pipe is on your property and is not connected to any other property, you are responsible for the cost of repair.
Find more information about blocked drains and sewers.
Flooding from main rivers
The Environment Agency manages flood risk from main rivers, including the River Ray and the River Cole.
If a main river has burst its banks and caused flooding, contact the Environment Agency.
Contact the Environment Agency.
You can also check which rivers in England are classed as main rivers.
View the statutory main rivers map.
Flooding from the M4 or A419
National Highways manages flood risk on the M4 and A419.
Contact National Highways to report flooding on the M4 or A419.
Flooding from a private watercourse
A private watercourse is the responsibility of the property owner.
If you own land next to a watercourse, you must make sure the flow of water is not blocked. This includes clearing excess vegetation and debris from ditches, and maintaining existing flood defence systems.
Read GOV.UK guidance about owning a watercourse.
Flooding from roadside ditches or private roads
The landowner is responsible for maintaining roadside ditches.
Road owners or residents are responsible for maintaining drainage on private roads and private streets.
What we do after we receive a report
We inspect reports of flooding or standing water within one working day.
If there are no signs of flooding or standing water, we inspect within 10 working days.
If our inspector finds a problem that could cause serious harm or damage to a property, we make the area safe as quickly as possible.
For more complicated reports, we may need to investigate further. After we investigate, we work with the owner of the drainage system to find ways to fix the problem.
If we own the drainage system, we make improvements if we have the budget to do so.
Prepare for flooding and recover afterwards
GOV.UK provides guidance to help you prepare for flooding and recover afterwards:
More information about flood risk
You can also read more about how flood risk is managed locally: