Storm and flooding advice as Storm Bert is expected over the weekend

To make sure people are as prepared as they can be for another period of heavy rainfall, Severn Trent is sharing advice to help reduce any impact of flooding on peoples’ homes and to make sure they know who to contact:

Steve Betteridge, Head of Waste Network Operations, Severn Trent said: “We know just how distressing any form of flooding can be and with more extreme weather events on the horizon being driven by climate change, we want to make sure that our customers are as prepared as possible if we see a return of last year’s stormy conditions.”

Storms can produce different kinds of flooding events, with surface water on the streets potentially resulting from blocked roadside drains, ground saturation, or when the amount of rain falling overwhelms the capacity of the sewers.

Steve added: “If the flooding is rainwater, it should subside on its own once the weather starts to clear and it stops raining. But if you see sewer flooding from a public drain or manhole should contact us and we’ll send someone out as soon as possible.”

There are a few steps that people can take to help keep their home flood-free during stormy conditions:

Any experience of flooding can be stressful, but Severn Trent suggests that this can be helped by knowing who to call in the event of flooding taking place.

Steve continued: “Knowing who to contact first time can save a lot of worry and help to make sure that the right calls are able to get through. People might naturally think of contacting Severn Trent first, but it could be another agency that they have to speak to. 

“We can help when it comes to sewer flooding from public drains or manholes, while the Environment Agency are the right people to contact if a river bursts its banks, and your local council can assist with blocked roadside drains, or if small streams or brooks are overflowing.”

Sewer flooding can be more likely if people have disposed of the wrong things down the drain. Items like tampons, wet wipes and sanitary products, or nappies which are flushed down the toilet, and fats, oils and grease from the kitchen can all contribute to forming blockages in sewers that can give sewage nowhere else to go.

Steve added: “To help keep the sewer pipes in your neighbourhood flowing freely, you should only ever flush the three Ps – pee, poo and paper – down the loo, and scrape any sauces, gravy and food scraps from plates into the bin instead of rinsing down the sink, and cooking oil can be poured into a bottle and then thrown away.”

More information, including details on who to contact in the event of flooding can be found here or by visiting stwater.co.uk/ and searching for ‘flooding’.