Flood Defence
This section describes the process of defending land, homes and
businesses against the effects of flooding from streams, rivers and
the tide.
In the case of flooding from sewers or road drains please
refer initially to the relevant text i.e. Building Drainage or Road
Drainage to determine the responsibility for solving the problem
before considering the advice below.
Your responsibility?
The primary responsibility for the protection of property from
flooding rests with the land or building owner.
What can the Council do to help me protect my home?
South Lakeland District Council maintains a small stock of
filled sandbags at its main depot sites in Kendal, Windermere and
Ulverston. These are available for collection by the public at
times of emergency or by prior appointment. Our
leaflet gives contact
details for the various depot sites.
The Council does not have sufficient resources to allow
delivery of sandbags to individual properties. Similarly, the
Council are not able to collect used sandbags from residents or
assist with their disposal.
Sandbags are the last line of defence in protecting your
property from flooding and are often ineffective in preventing
floodwater from entering buildings. The uncertainty over whether
the Council or local builders’ merchants will be able to supply
sufficient sandbags, during an emergency, means that if you live in
a flood risk area it is important for you consider to more
permanent measures.
What can I do to protect my own home?
A number of products are commercially available that can be
installed at gate, door, window or other openings to defend
buildings against floodwater. Additional advice on how to
prepare your home or business for flooding is available from
the Environment Agency.
You may also be able to receive flood warnings directly from
the Environment Agency if you live in a flood warning area. You can
contact the Environment Agency on 08708 506 506 or via the
flood
warning areas page on their website to see if you can
benefit from the service.
In all other areas general flood warnings are provided by
local television and radio news, teletext services, over the
internet and through the Environment Agency Floodline service on
0845 988 1188.
What can I do after a flood?
If your home has been damaged by flooding you should contact
your building insurers who will be able to offer you the initial
help you require to get things repaired.
Further advice on restoring your property in the event of a
flood can be obtained from the Environment Agency on the
After a Flood page of their website
What can be done about the causes of a flood?
The source of the floodwater can often be identified during a
flood and may give an indication of responsibility for addressing
the causes of the problem.
The maintenance
of streams and other watercourses falls to the owners of adjoining
land (see
Land
Drainage pages for further information). If these streams
become blocked the land owners may have a duty to remove any
obstructions to the flow of water.
If a blockage has contributed to the flooding of your home it
is important that you, or your insurers, contact the relevant land
owner to make them aware of the problem and ask them to take
appropriate action.
If you are unable to gain the co-operation of the land owner
or need further advice on the responsibility for streams or other
drainage systems you may wish to contact an officer from the
Environmental Health Department on 0845 050 4434 who can advise you
further.
Where coastal flooding has occurred from the tide you may wish
to contact your local Environment Agency office, who will be able
to advise you on the responsibility for any tidal flood defences in
the vicinity. The Environment Agency can be contacted on 08708
506506 or on their
website.
What can be done about the causes of a flood? - Flood
Alleviation Projects
In areas where a large number of homes have been flooded
internally, from a stream system, South Lakeland District Council
may be able to consider whether a flood alleviation scheme could
reduce the frequency of flooding.
Improvement projects on major streams and rivers are
undertaken by the Environment Agency and not by South Lakeland
District Council. To identify whether the Environment Agency
controls a stream or river near you please see our
Land Drainage pages.
Stock Beck Flood
Alleviation Scheme
In January 1999 a severe flood affected part of the Lowther Park
and Silverdale Drive areas of Kendal.
The nature of the flooding meant that individual homeowners
were unable to carry out any practical works to prevent further
incidents. As a result, South Lakeland District Council agreed to
investigate ways of assisting the affected residents and a Flood
Alleviation Scheme was then drawn up.
The scheme set out to reduce the frequency of flooding to a
wider area than originally affected in 1999 and so became known as
the Stock Beck Flood Alleviation Scheme.
By 2004 funding difficulties presented the South Lakeland
District Council Cabinet with difficult decisions regarding the
financial commitment of the authority to the project and a number
of alternative solutions and partners were considered in an attempt
to overcome this hurdle.
Following discussions with a number of partners and the
intervention of the local Member of Parliament DEFRA agreed to
increase the grant contribution to cover the costs of the scheme
and the green light was given for works to commence.
Work on the scheme commenced in May 2006 and is now nearing
completion.
Stock Beck Flood Action Group
Local residents formed the Stock Beck Flood Action Group in
2004 in an attempt to support South Lakeland District Council in
finding a solution to the flooding problem. The group have worked
continuously in the interests of the many local residents who are
at risk of flooding.
The Group are affiliated with the
National Flood Forum, who are
able to provide advice and assistance on the benefits of
individuals working with neighbours to alleviate the flooding of
homes.
Sandside Flood Resilience Pilot Study
On 15 May this year the Minister for Environment & Climate
Change, Ian Pearson, made an announcement that he would be making
available £500,000 for a pilot grant scheme. He invited local
authorities, the Environment Agency and other interested parties to
propose pilot sites for testing small grant schemes to install
flood resilience measures at vulnerable properties.
Technology has moved beyond sandbags and there is now a range
of simple and relatively cost-effective methods of keeping
floodwater out of property during a short-lived flood. Recently,
the British Standards Institute (BSI) has developed a "Kitemark"
Certification Scheme for such products.
In light of the announcement one area was put forward in South
Lakeland where it was felt that there was a real possibility of
delivering benefits to homes through these types of measures. This
was Sandside, Kirkby-in-Furness - an area at risk from tidal
flooding.
The village of Sandside and the surrounding area along the
Duddon Estuary is susceptible to frequent flooding during tidal
storms with 5 significant flood events recorded in the last 25
years. Currently 25 of the 40 properties at risk from flooding
receive a direct flood warning. The village is recognised as one of
the highest tidal flood risk areas in Cumbria, and continues to be
vulnerable from a combination of spring tides, tidal surge and
south-westerly winds. Climate change is set to increase this flood
risk.
Even with the recent growth in government flood defence
spending small communities, such as Sandside, remain too costly to
defend using traditional flood protection measures.
On 22 June 2007 Ian Pearson announced the successful
candidates for the first round of pilot studies as:
Uckfield, East Sussex;
Bleasby, Nottingham;
Sunderland Point, Morecambe;
Appleby, Cumbria;
Kirkby-in-Furness, Cumbria.
The overall aim of this project is to identify new and
improved ways in which the public can be encouraged to incorporate
appropriate flood resilience or resistance measures in their
homes and businesses. A estimated grant of £90,000 has been awarded
to the pilot study at Sandside, Kirkby-in-Furness to achieve this
aim.
It is hoped that the pilot study will allow the authority, and
the Environment Agency, to develop new initiatives towards working
with the community whilst also contributing to the emerging
government policy on “Making Space for Water”.
What can be done about the causes of a flood? – Public Sewer
Flooding
The responsibility for sewer flooding problems usually rests
with the owners of the drainage system causing the problem. For
advice on how to establish this responsibility see our
Building Drainage
pages.
Where a problem lies on a public sewer you should contact
United Utilities, Customer Services on 0845 6020406. You may also
report problems via e-mail using the Customer Services link on the
United Utilities
website.
Recurring sewer flooding problems are often a sign that the
capacity of the sewer is insufficient to deal with the flows
draining into the system. Any improvements to prevent such a
problem are likely to require considerable design and construction
works. These are often prioritised against other flooding,
throughout the northwest, and may take a significant time to
resolve. However, if you are not satisfied with the progress of
such improvements you may seek further advice from the water
consumer body
Consumer Council
for Water.
If sewer flooding results in pollution of a stream or tidal
area it is important that the issue is reported swiftly to the
Environment Agency, who can investigate the matter for you. Please
follow the advice on our
Pollution of Watercourses pages.
What can be done about the causes of a flood? – Private Sewer
Flooding
The responsibility for private sewer flooding problems usually
rests with the owners of the drainage system causing the problem.
For advice on how to establish this responsibility see our
Building
Drainage pages.
If you believe that the flooding problem could be caused
by a drain or sewer, for which you may be responsible, you should
contact a local reputable drainage contractor who can investigate
the matter for you. You can find a number of local contractors
under ‘drains’ in the local classified directories. Most
contractors will expect payment to be made by one household and for
you to collect equal contributions to the bill from any of your
neighbours served by the private drain or sewer.
If you are unable to gain the co-operation of your neighbours
or do not believe that you are responsible for the drainage system
that is overflowing you may wish to contact an officer from the
Environmental
Health Department on 0845 050 4434 who can advise you
further.
Can I get more detailed information?