Flooding Update
Following last year’s wettest winter on record, and the wettest September in nearly one hundred years, we want to help make sure residents are as prepared as possible for further flooding this winter.
We’ve launched a new website, Buckinghamshire Be Flood Ready which has lots of information on how residents can make their homes more flood resilient, prepare a flood plan, find out what to do after a flood, get advice on insurance and who to contact.
We also recommend that residents:
It is a property owner’s responsibility to take appropriate action to protect their own property from flooding, and to look after their property if it does flood.
Please remember that we have a limited stock of sandbags intended for use on highways and during times of emergency and will try to assist residents by delivering these to properties at imminent risk of flooding, but this depends on the availability of crews to transport them. To request sandbags, in an emergency only, view our emergency contact details.
After a flood
Any reports of damage to our roads should be made via Fix My Street and we will rectify this as soon as possible.
Advice on steps to take after your home has been flooded, either immediately after a flood or for long term recovery, can be found on our Be Flood Ready website.
If residents need further support, there are other places to get advice such as the National Flood Forum charity which has a helpline that provides general support before, during and after a flood on issues including insurance, home re-instatement and home resilience. They can be contacted by calling 01299 403 055.
Owners of properties can take positive steps to make their homes and businesses more resilient to flooding events. We encourage all owners of properties at risk of flooding to investigate the options available. Please visit our Buckinghamshire – BeFloodReady website to find out more about using Property Flood Resilience measures to mitigate the impact of flooding on your home in the future.
Homeowners who have already suffered damage from flooding can also ask their home insurers about the ’Build Back Better’ scheme. If their home insurance includes this scheme as part of the policy, the insurer should work with them to assess if additional flood resilience or resistance measures could benefit their home in the future. The scheme covers the cost of installing such measures up to the value of £10,000, over and above work to repair damage and loss caused by a flood.
For residents that rent a property, they will need to contact their landlord/housing association if their home needs repairs due to flooding.
How the council works to manage flooding
Buckinghamshire Council has only limited responsibilities and powers as regards flood prevention and management. Nevertheless, throughout the year, the council works with other organisations, such as utilities companies and the Environment Agency, to advocate for residents and businesses.
We have also allocated £10.5 million to the council’s Flood Capital Programme over 2025-27, which will enable continued delivery of various flood resilience and alleviation projects across Buckinghamshire.
Project Groundwater
We are also part of Project Groundwater, a Defra-funded £150 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme which is managed by the Environment Agency to develop and test new approaches to resilience tailored to local communities. The Strategic Flood Risk Management Team is now working on the 6-year project with a range of partners from across the Chilterns and Berkshire Downs, including communities in 9 high risk flood areas of the Chiltern Hills and Berkshire Downs.
For more information about what Groundwater flooding is, and how Project Groundwater can help, visit the council website.
Flooding survey
Following the recent flooding, our Flood Management Team is undertaking an information gathering exercise through an online questionnaire to help them understand how this flooding has impacted the local community. Please encourage people in your community to share their experience through this short Buckinghamshire Flooding questionnaire.
Please note, this service is not to be used in an emergency situation and is only used to collate records of flooding. As such we will not be able to provide an emergency response or advice through this form. Any imminent or current flooding should be reported via the normal channels which are outlined on the council website.
Additional information
Earlier this year, the Resilience Service hosted a member briefing outlining the council's response to flooding. This included an overview of the role of the resilience service, Buckinghamshire Highways, and strategic flood management. To find out more, please see the recording of this session and/or download the slides. These can also be found on the member zone on BucksNet for future reference.
Robert
Cllr Robert Carington
Buckinghamshire Council- Ridgeway West Division
Robert.Carington@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
@CaringtonRobert
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