Roles and responsibilities

Multiple organisations and agencies are involved in preventing and responding to flooding incidents.

They include the Environment Agency, Leicestershire County Council as the local lead flood authority, district councils like Charnwood, emergency services, and the NHS.

Property owners are also responsible for protecting their property from flooding. Some key elements include having insurance for your property.

In a flood situation, organisations including councils, emergency services and others work together to co-ordinate the response through the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Resilience Forum.

This web page contains information about the different roles and responsibilities of organisations.

Maintenance and management of rivers and canals

The Environment Agency is responsible for the maintenance of main rivers which are usually large rivers and streams such as Sileby Brook, Barkby Brook and Wood Brook in Loughborough. The Environment Agency has a map outlining the main rivers it is responsible for.

For canals, the Canal & River Trust may also be involved. For clarity, the borough council does not get involved in the maintenance of main rivers and canals.

Owners of land with watercourses flowing through them are also responsible for maintaining them and ensuring water flows naturally and they are not blocked.

Flooding on roads and clearing drains - Leicestershire County Council

Leicestershire County Council is the highways authority and therefore maintains road gullies and ensures drains are clear. 

You can report a blocked road gully online via the Leicestershire County Council website. Please remember that gullies may appear blocked, but are actually not draining due to remaining high water levels in the watercourses they drain to.

The County Council will also close roads blocked by flooding.

Responsibilities of Charnwood Borough Council

Charnwood Borough Council has various responsibilities when it comes to flooding.

Temporary accommodation

If flooding occurs and you are forced to leave your home as you can no longer live there safely, the Council can offer advice and even arrange short-term temporary accommodation. Our housing needs team are available 24/7.

Waste and street cleaning

When flood waters have cleared, the Council is likely to do additional street cleaning in affected areas. We do not clear drains in roads, that's the county council. We will also support residents to clear extra waste related to flooding if possible. Business owners need to liaise with their own commercial waste collectors.

Sandbags

We keep a limited number of sandbags and they will only be issued to:

• protect life, critical infrastructure and buildings, eg hospitals and substations
• protect elderly, disabled and vulnerable residents
• support the emergency services

We will not issue sandbags to protect gardens and outbuildings.

Homeowners and businesses can also purchase sandbags from DIY stores.

We have supplied some town and parish councils with sandbags so it may be worth contacting your town or parish council to see if they have a supply.

Read our sandbag policy

Watercourses on Council land

There are some minor watercourses on council land which we regularly maintain to ensure they are flowing freely. 

Flooding from sewers

Contact Severn Trent Water online or call 0800 783 4444 if you experience flooding from sewers. To assist them please have your postcode ready and record the incident number given to you. This may enable you to track your enquiry.

If you are with Anglian Water, please call 0800 771881.

Insurance

Check your insurance policy and contact your insurance company immediately. The majority of household policies provide insurance cover for flooding.

Property owners are responsible for ensuring the correct level of insurance for flooding is in place. 

If you are a tenant and have taken out contents insurance, household contents, fixtures and fittings should be covered; it is normally the responsibility of your landlord to provide building insurance.

If you are uninsured you will most likely be responsible for covering all costs of flood damage. Remember to keep records of flood damage (for example, photos, and photograph any goods or furniture) before disposing of them.

It is worth speaking to a number of insurers and checking what cover they can offer.

FloodRe is a joint initiative between the Government and insurers. Its aim is to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable.

Who else helps?

The county has a network of flood wardens. These volunteers give up their time to help communities prepare for flooding and be aware of the risk of flooding.

There are other organisations which can help in flooding or other extreme weather situations. They include the Red Cross, and organisations like Leicestershire & Rutland 4×4 Response which is a registered charity made up of volunteers who utilise their own vehicles and equipment to provide assistance to the emergency services and community in times of severe weather.