Flood Briefing Note

Summary
Following multiple flooding incidents across the county in recent years, feedback has
suggested the need for better information to help you support your local communities in
actions to take and who to contact before, during and after a flood. The County Council’s
Lead Local Flood Authority have developed more detailed guides for each of the types of
flooding as well as information on who is responsible for each.

River (Fluvial) Flooding
During heavy or continuous rainfall, river levels can rise and burst their banks. This can
cause serious flooding to surrounding homes, gardens, businesses and land.

It’s important to be aware of the level of flood risk for your home and surrounding areas
and to be signed up to receive flood warnings from the Environment Agency.

The Environment Agency are responsible for all ‘main rivers’ in England. Key main rivers
in Oxfordshire include:

• Thames
• Leach
• Windrush
• Evenlode
• Glyme
• Cherwell
• Ray
• Ock
• Thame

Any watercourse not defined by the Environment Agency as a main river is designated an
‘ordinary watercourse’. These are the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council’s Lead
Local Flood Authority (LLFA) Team, who also manage the Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit.

Surface Water (Pluvial) Flooding
Heavy rain can cause surface water flooding. Excess rainwater is often diverted into gullies
(which feed into sewers), ditches and absorbed into the ground. If gullies or ditches
become blocked, water can back up and lead to flooding. Any issues you notice that could
increase the risk of surface water flooding can be reported to OCC Highways through
FixMyStreet.

Groundwater Flooding
When there is a high water table, flooding can occur from water seeping through walls or
floors over time. It is most likely to affect basements. Groundwater flooding can occur
weeks or months after continuous heavy rainfall.

Sewer Flooding
The majority of Oxfordshire’s sewage system is maintained by Thames Water. A small
number of estates are maintained by private companies.

Thames Water have provided a step-by-step guide for what to do if you experience sewer
flooding. Issues can also be reported directly to Thames Water through their website.

Reservoir Flooding
Reservoir flooding is incredibly unlikely within the UK due to the strict legislation in place
regarding safety. You can check the extent of flooding if any reservoir in the UK were to
fail using Environment Agencies’ Reservoir Flood Maps.

Flood Preparedness
You should encourage the public to sign up to the Environment Agency’s ‘Floodline’ which
can notify you if there is a risk of flooding in your area through either a, flood alert, flooding
warning, or severe flood warning. You can sign up here to be notified through either phone,
text, or email.

The Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit is a central hub providing information to homeowners,
businesses, landowners, and communities on a range of flood-related topics such as risk
areas around the county, preparing for and recovering from an emergency, and roles within
the local authority. The Toolkit allows for flooding reports to be made directly to the council.
The National Flood Forum is an independent charity supporting both individuals and
communities at risk of flooding. They provide a number of services including, providing
advice, ensure authorities take a community perspective and helping households with
recovery after they have been flooded. The Forum has a helpline (01299 403055) open
from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday which can be used to help provide advice about any
flooding related concerns.

Oxfordshire County Council has a community resilience page with information and a
number of resources to support local communities. This includes a template for developing
a Community Emergency Plan.

SSEN each year provide funding to communities to support them to become more resilient.
This can be used for projects such as installing a generator at a community hall or installing
flood doors at the most vulnerable properties (Application period for 2024 has now closed).
You can also use FixMyStreet to report any concerns such as blocked gullies and ditches
to the Highways Authority to reduce the chance of surface water flooding in the community.
You should encourage members of the public to sign up to PSR lists which will support the
identification of vulnerable persons during emergencies.

During Flooding
If it is an emergency and there is a risk to life, you should immediately call 999
If you wish, you can support the multi-agency support through social media by amplifying
messages put out by OCC, Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue and the Environment Agency.

If flooding is anticipated, Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) will establish an adverse
weather page on their website. This page will contain relevant, up to date information, and
links to useful resources. This page will be accessible through the home page of the OCC
website and will also be shared across OCC social media channels.

Although they can provide protection for short periods of time, sandbags have been
identified by the Environment Agency as largely ineffective in mitigating flooding compared
to purpose-designed flood protection products. Sandbag policies can be found below:

• Oxford shire County Council
• Oxford City Council
• Cherwell District Council
• West Oxfordshire District Council
• South Oxfordshire District Council
• Vale of White Horse District Council

The Royal Life Saving Society has provided advice regarding water safety in a flood. The
AA has also provided advice regarding driving through deep water, heavy rain and floods.
Flood water will likely contain sewage contaminant, so you should avoid walking in it where
possible and be aware of risks such as missing manhole covers and exposed electrics.

After Flooding
Once the water has subsided, it is important to be mindful of anything submerged within
the flood water. Flood water is often not clean, it can be contaminated with sewage, animal
waste and other substances and therefore should be disposed of correctly. The UK Health
Security Agency (UKHSA) has shared a wealth of information surrounding the health
effects following a flood.

If government criteria is met, there may be funding available for residents to receive grants
to support their recovery. This will be advertised on both county and district platforms. We
would encourage you to share this as much as possible.

Flood Re is a re-insurance scheme that makes flood cover more widely available and
affordable as part of your home insurance, helping households at the highest risk of
flooding.

To support the Council ensure accurate reporting numbers of flooded properties,
supporting future flood mitigation and preparedness projects, reports can be made on the
Flood Toolkit.

Further information has been provided from the Government about recovery following a
flood event.

Contacts:


Emergency Services If there is an immediate threat to life 999 24/7

Joint Oxfordshire Resilience Team for support with any evacuations ongoing
within the county - Activation of Community Emergency Plans - 01865 323765 24/7

OCC Highways for issues on highways across Oxfordshire, including flooded roads and flooding
resulting from the highways - 0345 310 1111 08:30 – 17:00 (Mon – Thurs) 08:30 – 16:00 (Friday)
Out of hours, a further number will be provided over answer phone

National Highways For issues relating to the: M40, A34, A43 0300 123 5000 07:00 – 19:00

Thames Water For sewer flooding 0300 123 500 24/7

Environment Agency Floodline: For main rivers Telephone: 0345 988 1188 - Textphone: 0345 602 6340 24/7

FixMyStreet For reporting potential flooding issues FixMyStreet 24/7 – Not emergency response

Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit
For a wealth of information for flood mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
For reporting a flood. Providing evidence such as pictures of flooding to support post
flood investigations. Pictures should include time, date and location - Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit 24/7 – Not emergency response