Flooding

Flooding emergency

If you think there is a threat to life
Call 999 and ask for Fire and Rescue.
If water is blocking roads or pavements and causing a danger
Call Surrey County Council on 0300 200 1003.
If you are calling outside normal business hours, please hold for option 3 (Roads and Transport) followed by option 2 (Highway and Traffic Signal Emergencies).

Report flooding

When you are able, report flooding to Surrey County Council so we can investigate it:

Report flooding online

Call: 0300 200 1003
Email: contact.centre@surreycc.gov.uk
Textphone (via Text Relay): 18001 0300 200 1003
SMS: 07860 053 465
VRS: Sign Language Video Relay Service

If there is any sign of sewage

Call your water provider Thames Water on 0800 316 9800 or Southern Water on 0330 303 0368.

If a river has burst its banks

Call the Environment Agency 24-hour Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

If you lose power

Report it via Power Cut 105 by calling 105.

Rest centres and sandbags

Contact your local district or borough.

Flooding in your home

If your home floods, it's important to report it to the right organisation/s to get the help you need. Every house flood must be logged individually so it can be investigated properly.

For immediate help, use our emergency contact numbers. When you are able, report flooding online so we can investigate it.

Report flooding online

Turn off gas, electricity and water.
Keep updated as best you can via local radio stations.
Check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours in flooded areas if it is safe to do so. If you are concerned about someone you cannot reach, contact Adult Social Care at Surrey County Council or out of hours contact the Emergency Duty Team on 01483 517898 or email edt.ssd@surreycc.gov.uk.
If it is not safe to go outside, stay indoors unless advised to evacuate by the emergency services.
If you are asked to leave your property, you will be told to go to a nearby Assembly Point from where you will be transported to a Local Authority Rest Centre.
If you leave your home in a high flood risk area to stay somewhere else, tell the Police on their non-emergency number 101, Surrey County Council's contact centre on 03456 009 009 or your district or borough, where you have gone, who is with you and how you can be contacted.
Keep your pets indoors and away from flood waters.

Flooding at your business

It's important to make sure your employees, customers and visitors are safely evacuated from flooded areas in your business. If it is not safe to go outside, stay inside unless advised to evacuate by the emergency services.

For immediate help, use our emergency contact numbers. When you are able, report flooding online so we can investigate it.

Report flooding online

Do not enter the building if it is flooded.
If you have a flood plan, put this into action.
Contact suppliers for alternative delivery locations or cancellations.
Notify your customers.
Work from home or alternative workspace as arranged in your business plan.
Turn off gas, electricity and water if you are in the building.
Remove any business-critical documents and secure your premises.

Surface water flooding

Surface water flooding, pluvial flooding, flash flooding, cloudburst and storm runoff are all often used to describe flooding that can occur after a heavy downpour.

The rain hits the ground quicker than it can drain or flow away. When very heavy rain falls on hard surfaces drainage and sewers are often overwhelmed.

This sort of flooding is difficult to predict, it often happens quickly with fast flowing water that could pose a risk to life. It is also more likely to happen during intense summer storms but can occur any time of year.

Water builds up and develops the potential to flood properties. In some places, it forms isolated puddles in ground depressions and in others it accumulates in valleys and flows downhill towards rivers. Typically, surface water flood events have localised effects, impacting properties in close proximity to where the rain fell and for a short amount of time.

However, some surface water flooding can be geographically extensive and remain for a long period of time. Water can build up in local depressions almost anywhere, thereby potentially affecting a far larger proportion of the land's surface and many more properties than river flooding.

Whilst you can never fully mitigate the risk of flooding, protecting your business can play a major part in reducing the flooding impact.

The Environment Agency offers advice and practical steps to protect your business in 'Would your business stay afloat?'.

You can also check if your business is at risk of flooding by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (24 hours).

Flooding on roads, pavements or land

If you think there is a threat to life

Call 999 and ask for Fire and Rescue.

If water is blocking roads or pavements and causing a danger

Call Surrey County Council on 0300 200 1003. If you are calling outside normal business hours, please hold for option 3 (Roads and Transport) followed by option 2 (Highway and Traffic Signal Emergencies).

If there is any sign of sewage

Call your water provider Thames Water on 0800 316 9800 or Southern Water on 0330 303 0368.

Flash flooding, burst water mains and blocked drains

Flash flooding, burst water mains and blocked drains can all cause flooding. These issues are important but may not be significant enough for emergency action. Please follow the advice below.

If part of the road or pavement is flooded

The flooding may be temporary. Following lots of rain, drainage systems can sometimes struggle to clear large amounts of water. When this occurs, just a small amount of further rainfall can cause temporary flooding. This usually disappears once the weather improves.

Please wait 24 hours after the rain has stopped, to allow the water to drain away. If there is still a problem report it to us.

Report flooding online

Flooding in a park or on private land

Please tell us about flooding not on the highway but in a park or on private land so we can investigate it.

Blocked drain or gully

We aim to clean all drains on the public highway at least once every two years, although some drains will be cleaned annually or twice a year. Please see our Drainage webpage for more information about drain cleaning and also to report a problem.

Following lots of rain, drainage systems can sometimes struggle to clear large amounts of water. When this occurs, just a small amount of further rainfall can cause temporary flooding. This usually disappears once the weather improves.

Please wait 24 hours after the rain has stopped, to allow the water to drain away. If there is still a problem after 24 hours, report it to us.

Report flooding online

Blocked ditches

Most ditches alongside the roads belong to the adjacent landowner. The owner of the ditch has a responsibility to maintain the ditch and ensure water can flow freely. If you know who the landowner is, please report this directly to them.

Surrey County Council is responsible for maintaining a small number of ditches. If we are responsible for the ditch, or if you are unsure who is responsible for maintaining the ditch, report it to us.

Report flooding online

Flooded streams or poor drainage on land

For these local issues, Contact your local district or borough.

After a flood

Read advice from UK Power Networks on getting your electricity reconnected after a flood.

If you believe your property has been contaminated with sewage please contact your water provider Thames Water on 0800 316 9800 or Southern Water on 0845 888 1188.

The National Flood Forum (NFF) provides free, independent advice and support on a range of issues from dealing with your insurer to practical advice for getting back on your feet. They can even help families find alternative accommodation.

Read our advice on getting back into your home after a flood including advice on insurance and repairs.
Read our advice on clearing up after a flood including information on drying out your home.
Read our advice on staying healthy and safe after flooding.

Find out more about flooding insurance for your home from Flood Re, a joint initiative between the Government and insurers. Its aim is to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable.

Small businesses

Only return to your premises when it is safe to do so. Remember your business may need to be inspected by your utility company before power and water are re-connected.
Contact your insurance company. Don't throw away damaged items until you have checked with them. If your business doesn't have insurance, the National Flood Forum can offer help and support on 01299 403055.
Take photographs to document damage and record the floodwater height.
Contact your customers and suppliers to let them know about the disruption to your business.

Preparing for flooding

See our page on preparing for flooding to find out if your property is at risk, how to get flood alerts, making a flood plan and flood kit, and other useful advice and information.

Checklist for small businesses

Make sure you have flooding insurance in place. Take a look at this directory of insurers, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and Flood Re.
Produce flood safety information for staff including an emergency contact list.
Create a digital list of important contacts such as Floodline, your local authority, insurance details etc.
Purchase flood protection products such as sandbags.
Sign up for Flood alerts from gov.uk.
Create a flood plan for your business including alternative workspaces.
Make sure your files are backed up by offsite providers or in the cloud. If you have paper files, keep them off ground level and make copies of important documents to store in a safe location.
Keep an emergency kit in an accessible place and a grab bag with a copy of your flood and important documents. including your insurance documents.
Make sure you know how to turn off your utilities.

Storm Henk flood recovery grant funding

If your home or business was affected by flooding from Storm Henk (2nd January 2024 to 12th January 2024), you may be eligible for financial support. This funding is available through the Government's Flood Recovery Framework.

Property flood resilience grant scheme

Eligible property owners can apply for up to £5,000 to help make their homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding.

We will be accepting applications for this grant up until 23:59 on the 31 March 2025.

Eligibility criteria

Properties that may be eligible for the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Grant:

Residential properties where habitable (living areas) have been damaged by flooding in this event. This includes static caravans where the property is considered your primary residence as defined by the electoral register.
Businesses, charitable organisations and educational establishment properties where internal areas of the premises that are critical to day-to-day operations have been damaged by flooding. This does not include storage sheds or warehouses.

There are further eligibility criteria for Bed and Breakfasts, holiday lets and Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO). For further information on these criteria, please contact flooding.enquiries@surreycc.gov.uk.

How to apply

Complete the appropriate application form below:

Once you have completed the form, you will receive an email with a pdf copy of your application form. Please email that pdf to flooding.enquiries@surreycc.gov.uk with the subject line "Storm Henk PFR application".

All applications must be submitted via the form and by email. If applications are not received by email, we cannot guarantee that your application will be processed.

Any information provided will be shared with Surrey County Council to record impacted properties, help with flood recovery, process and verify the flood recovery framework grants, and to inform current and future flood risk management actions. We do not share information with insurance companies. For more details about how your data may be used, please see our privacy statement.

What happens next?

We will review your application and determine if your property is eligible for the grant. We will then contact you to explain the next steps.

A survey of your property will be undertaken to determine the most suitable flood resistance and/or resilience measures for your property. We can provide a surveyor, or you may choose your own surveyor pending our approval.

Once suitable measures have been determined and agreed, they can be installed. We can provide a qualified installation contractor, or you may choose your own contractor pending our approval.

If you have any questions regarding this grant, please contact us at flooding.enquiries@surreycc.gov.uk.

Community recovery grant for residential properties

If you live in Surrey and were flooded during Storm Henk, you may be eligible for up to £500 to help with immediate costs.