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Rochford District Council,  South Street,  Rochford.
01702  546366       

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-term application we will leave them on these pages for the rest of the Summer:

 

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-mail or fax, visit https://www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-at-risk-of-flooding

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-pages/

For further information visit www.rochford.gov.uk

 

21st July 2014

Free Collection Service for Flood-Damaged Goods

 

A free collection service is in place for flood-damaged goods, following this weekend’s heavy rain.

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-mail customerservices@rochford.gov.uk

 

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-if-youre-at-risk-of-flooding They also operate a Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or 0845 988 1188.

 

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-funding offer from Essex County Council, who are offering up to £50,000 to tackle local flooding issues.

 

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-ordinate these various agencies so we can work in the best interests of residents, and I’m pleased to say a lot of positive work has been done.“It was also helpful to hear from the residents who have been directly affected, and I really do feel for them. This is exactly why we are doing this – we hope that this Forum will ensure that we are all working together for the benefit of residents.”