Flooding becomes an Issue
There was a time, once upon a time, when the mention of flooding raised little interests
among few, perhaps those sitting on the other side of low sea walls, but with apparent
changes to weather patterns, it appears to have become an issue that affects more
than a few. Two inches of rain falling within one hour in one nearby locality over
this past weekend (19th/20th July 2014) has suggested that perhaps we are more vulnerable
to inadequate drainage systems (inadequate as far as tropical downpours are concerned
at least) tan we might have though previously. The Council has issued the following
and as they may have long-
Latest update: 27th Aug 2014
A further meeting of the Forum for Surface Water Flooding Issues has been scheduled, in order to drive forward improvements to local watercourses, ditches and drains.
Rochford District Council will host the meeting at the Civic Suite, Rayleigh, at 4pm on October 1 and members of the public are welcome to attend.
It will bring together groups including Essex Highways, Anglian Water, the Environment Agency and the Essex County Council Flood Management Team, who are committed to working together to solve residents’ issues.
Articles/Informnation: 17th July, 21st July, 20th August
17 July 2014
Give a thought to flood prevention!
Even though we are now in the summer months and experiencing lots of hot weather its worth remembering that often very hot weather can bring on summer storms and flooding.
Floods can happen any where at any time and are often due to sudden heavy rain. Even if you live miles away from the coast or a river, flooding can still affect you. You can prepare your home for flooding by following a few small steps:
1. Find out if you live in an area at any risk from river flooding. If so sign up
to flood line direct they will provide a free service that will send warnings direct
to your home phone, mobile, SMS, e-
2. Make a flood plan so you know how to turn off gas, water and electricity supplies to prevent any extra damage to your house.
3. Have a flood kit, torch, and wind up radio, important telephone numbers and bottles of water.
4. Think about what can be moved to a safe place now like photo albums, family videos, and treasured items.
5. Think about what you would want to move to safety if flooding is forecast including cars, pets and furniture
6. Try to protect your property from flooding by investing in flood protection products, visit
http://www.nationalfloodforum.org.uk/blue-
For further information visit www.rochford.gov.uk
21st July 2014
Free Collection Service for Flood-
A free collection service is in place for flood-
Those who need to get rid of bulky items will need to contact customer services. The goods will then be collected the following day.
If you have any small electrical items you need to be disposed of, please bag them up separately.
You can either call Rochford District Council’s customer services team on 01702 318111
to arrange collection or e-
Reporting a flooding problem
The lead local Flood Authority is Essex County Council, who provide information at www.essex.gov.uk/flooding
Blocked gullies and highway drainage issues can be reported via the ‘Report a Problem’ page at www.essex.gov.uk/highways or by calling 0845 603 7631.
Travel information on highways in Essex is also available at www.essex.gov.uk/highways and on Twitter at @Essex_Travel.
For further advice regarding flooding visit the Environment Agency website on www.gov.uk/check-
Wednesday, Aug 20, 2014
Flood Forum
More than 60 residents attend Forum for Surface Water Flooding Issues
More than 60 residents attended a meeting organised by Rochford District Council to address local flooding issues.
The Forum for Surface Water Flooding Issues brought together organisations including Essex Highways, Anglian Water and the Essex County Council Flood Management Team for an in depth discussion about how to resolve issues across the District. We are also working closely with The Environment Agency.
Rochford District Council is not responsible for flooding issues, but created the Forum in an attempt to help resolve issues for residents. The aim of the group is to find out who is responsible for various watercourses, ditches and drains, and then try to ensure that those responsibilities are complied with.
During the meeting, Rochford District Council’s principle engineer spoke about how, together with Councillor Keith Hudson, he had visited various sites where flooding had occurred to try to identify the source of the problem and speak with some of the affected residents, before passing his findings on to the relevant agency to resolve.
Essex County Council and Anglian Water also spoke about the work they had been undertaking to resolve flooding issues in streets across the District. Residents directly raised concerns about problem areas, which the agencies agreed to reviewed as a matter of urgency.
Rochford District Council had previously budgeted £18,000 towards tackling surface
water drainage. This will now be eligible for a match-
Leader of Rochford District Council and chairman of the Forum, Councillor Terry Cutmore,
said: “Although Rochford District Council is not responsible for flooding issues,
we are not the sort of authority who will just step back and hope that others will
carry out the necessary works, we wanted to bring all the agencies together to try
to ensure that people’s homes aren’t flooded again. The current system is very complicated
with some areas being the responsibility of Anglian Water, some of Essex County Council,
some of the Environment Agency, and some lying with the landowner. The aim of these
meetings is co-