General Flooding Advice

Incidents of widespread flooding has significantly raised the profile of flooding as a national concern. With the rivers Thames, Mole and Wey running through the Borough Elmbridge residents will be well aware of the damage and inconvenience that flooding can cause. There have also been incidents of severe weather conditions that have overwhelmed the drainage infrastructure and led to localised flooding.

The principal types of flooding together with the authority having prime responsibility for dealing with it are as follows:

River Flooding

The Environment Agency is responsible for managing main rivers and their flood defences, and for managing flood risks and the effects of river flooding. The Agency has an important role in warning people about the risks of flooding, and in reducing the likelihood of river flooding. There is lots of useful information on |the Environment Agency website, from pre-planning advice to a list of suppliers of kitemark-certified domestic flood prevention products, there is also information on our |emergency flood pages.

Highway Flooding

Severe weather can result in flash flooding that can rapidly overwhelm the highway drainage infrastructure. |Surrey County Councill as Highway Authority are responsible for highway maintenance, including clearing blocked highway gullies and responding to highway flooding.

However, flooding problems occurring on motorways or trunk roads (in Elmbridge the M25 and A3) are the responsibility of the
|Highways Agency.

Sewage Flooding

This may occur as a result of a blockage within the public sewerage system or possibly, in times of severe rainfall, because of surface water infiltration to the foul sewers and consequent overload and surcharge. |Thames Water is the sewerage undertaker within the Elmbridge area, responsible for the maintenance of the public sewerage system.

Blocked Foul Drains

Water and sewerage companies in England and Wales are responsible for most private sewers (which were previously the responsibility of property owners). From 1 October 2011 |Thames Water assumed responsibility for all existing drains, where they lie outside the property which they serve, and for all existing private sewers (drains serving more than one property).

If a drain is blocked within your property it is probably your responsibility to get the blockage cleared. Further information is available on our |drains and sewers webpage, however, you should check with |Thames Water if you are unsure.

Burst Water Mains

Occasionally, a burst water main may cause flooding to a localised area. Within Elmbridge there are three water supply companies - |Veolia Water Central,|Thames Water or |Sutton and East Surrey Water. If you are unsure, your water services bill will tell you which company supplies your water.

Land Drainage Flooding

Flooding may occur from a watercourse such as a ditch, stream or brook that is blocked. If you live next to a watercourse, you would be classed as a 'riparian owner'. As a riparian owner you have a responsibility to maintain that section of the watercourse that passes your property and to keep it clear from obstructions, so flooding doesn't occur.

Ditches and streams may also flood simply because of excessive volumes of flow during or after extreme weather conditions. Contact |the Environment Agency.