Flooding & Flood Protection

Flooding

Flooding is one of the most common emergencies. Find out how to prepare and what to do in the event of a flood below.

The Environment Agency operates a flood warning system, giving information to the public, media, emergency services and local authorities. If flooding is forecast, warnings are issued using a set of four easily recognisable codes. The following codes are used:

Severe Flood Warning - Severe flooding. Danger to life
Flood Warning - flooding is expected.Immediate action required
Flood Alert – Flooding is possible. Be prepared
Warning no longer in force - Flood warnings and flood alerts that have been removed in the last 24 hours

Flood Response Plan

The Reading Borough Council flood plan explains how the Council will respond to flooding within the borough. It is not a flood prevention plan and only covers the Councils response from the time flood warnings are issued by the environment agency.

The Council's flood plan can be found by following the link at the bottom of this page.

More information on the Council's planning policy with respect to building within the floodplain can be found on the Council's Planning webpages, a link to these can be found at the bottom of this page.

Sandbag Policy

The Council's sandbag policy forms an integral part of the flood plan, it explains under what circumstances sandbags will be deployed. The sandbag policy was agreed by Councillors at a meeting of Cabinet on 29th October 2007. A copy of the sandbag policy can be found at the bottom of this page.

Although the Council will endeavour to deploy sandbags if flooding is forecast, we cannot guarantee it, and therefore Reading Borough Council urges residents to act now to protect their property if it falls within a floodzone.

Traditional Sandbag Suppliers

Most local builders merchants supply sandbags and sand. Residents are advised to take action before flooding is forecast as stock levels in builder’s merchants can be quickly depleted once flood warnings have been issued.

Local sandbag suppliers can be found by contacting builder’s merchants directly, telephone numbers can be found in the Yellow Pages or other listing agent.

PLEASE NOTE : Sandbags although effective against short duration flood events or wash from vehicles travelling through floodwater, are not effective against longer duration flood events. Water will naturally make its way through the sandbag and hence more permanent kitemarked flood protection products should be considered if your property is at risk of flooding. Use of plastic sheeting placed behind sandbags will improve the efficiency of them.

Please visit the Environment Agency website for advice on the use of sandbags, a link can be found at the bottom of this page.

Modern Sandless Sandbag alternatives

Traditional sandbags have been available for many years, a modern type of sandbag is now available which does not contain sand.

Sandless sandbags work by using superabsorbant polymer technology to provide an alternative to traditional sandbags. Superabsorbant polymers are similar to those used in babies nappies. They work by absorbing liquids in large quantities, far in excess of the volume of the dry polymer. They can absorb over 200 x their own weight in water.

The advantages and disadvantages of different types of sandbag are listed in the table below
	Advantages	Disadvantages
Traditional Sandbag (Hessian)	Cheap as low as 20p per bag Can be stored “unfilled” dry for many years Can be filled with garden soil etc. and when used with Polythene sheets can be an effective barrier	Weight – Heavy and difficult to transport/deploy/dispose Very difficult to store due to size (when filled) Hessian rots easily (less than 12months) when wet Also rots when stored dry due to moisture content of the sand
Traditional Sandbag (Polypropylene)	Cheap as low as 20p per bag Can be stored in the dark (away from Ultraviolet Light/Sunlight) for 20+ years without rotting Can be stored wet without rotting Can be filled with garden soil etc and when used with Polythene sheets can be an effective barrier	Weight – Heavy and difficult to transport/deploy/dispose Very difficult to store due to size (When filled) Will rot if stored in sunlight
Modern (Sandless) Sandbag	Weight – very light and easy to deploy Size – very small (same as an unfilled sandbag) so very easy to store Excellent for small terraced properties in the floodplain with no space to store traditional sandbags Disposal – The polymer within the bags can be mixed in small quantities with soil to assist with moisture retention in summer months (i.e. hanging baskets)	Expensive – unlikely to be less than £2 per bag Weight – Heavy once energised with water and exactly the same problems as a normal sandbag when transporting once energised Must be stored indoors in the dry

Several companies offer this type of modern sandbag and can be found on the internet via most search engines

Kitemarked Flood protection products

For a guaranteed standard of flood protection, products from the kitemarked scheme should be used.

Kitemarked products have been tested to a recognised standard to demonstrate that they are suitable for the purpose of flooding. The Environment Agency provide a list of Kitemarked flood protection products and these are available on the Environment Agencies Website. A link to the Environment Agency website can be found at the bottom of this page.

Non-Kitemarked Flood products

Many companies offer non-kitemarked flood protection products. These products are listed in the National Flood Forums blue book. These products may work perfectly well, but they have not been tested/certified to the Kitemarked standard so this cannot be independently verified.

A link to the National Flood Forum can be found below.

Living next to a river

If you own land or property next to a river or other watercourse, you need to know your rights and responsibilities as a riverside owner. This is known in legal terms as a riparian landowner.

You are responsible for maintaining the bed and banks of the watercourse (including trees and shrubs growing on the banks), and for clearing any debris, natural or other, including litter and animal carcasses, even if it did not originate from your land. The Council can give you advice on the removal of animal carcasses.
You have to pass on water flow without obstruction, pollution or diversion affecting the rights of others and you must not cause any obstructions to the free passage of fish.
You are responsible for keeping the bed and banks clear of any matter that could cause an obstruction, either on your land or by being washed away by high flow to obstruct a structure downstream. Rivers and their banks should not be used for the disposal of any form of garden or other waste.
You have to accept flood flows through your land, even if caused by inadequate capacity downstream.
You have to keep clear any structures that you own such as culverts, trash screens, weirs and mill gates.
You may have flood defences such as walls and embankments on your property, which are vital for the protection of both yourself and others. You should discuss the maintenance of such defences with your local Environment Agency office.
You are responsible for protecting your property from seepage through natural or man-made banks. Where such seepage threatens the structural integrity of a flood defence, it may become the concern of the Environment Agency.

Before a flood

If you live within a flood zone as identified on the environment agency flood map you can prepare by:

gaining adequate household insurance
signing up for Flood Warnings DIrect or calling the Floodline Service on 08459 88 11 88
keeping outside drains clear to let surface water escape
directing water flow away from property if possible
using sandbags or rubbish bags filled with earth to protect doorways and low air vents
switching off gas and electricity supplies and having emergency provisions ready
protecting food and valuables by moving them upstairs
prepare a family emergency plan. This should detail what your family will do during flooding

During and after

If you have been hit by a flood then you should do the following:

refer to your emergency plan
listen to weather and newsbulletins
stay by a window and try to attract attention
do not switch on gas or electricity supplies until they have been inspected
do not use food which has been in contact with flood water
contact your insurance company

Severe Weather Warnings

On many occasions, flooding is triggered by heavy rainfall. Severe Weather Warnings are issued by the Met Office and residents are urged to check the weather reports regularly. A link to the Met Office Forecast for Reading and Severe Weather Warnings can be found below.