Flooding

General flooding advice
Pets and floods

Who to contact in the event of a flood

Further information

Latest advice

The Environment Agency have produced three leaflets concerning flooding, before, during and after.

EA Before Flooding ( PDF File 239KB file details)
EA During Flooding ( PDF File 318KB file details)
EA After Flooding ( PDF File 239KB file details)

General flooding advice

An advice leaflet from the Environment Agency and other Kent partners is available to download Kent Environment Agency Leaflet ( PDF 2163K file details). If you would like a paper copy, please contact the Emergency Planning Officer.

When Flood Warnings or Severe Flood Warnings are in force, the Council supplies and delivers sandbags to homes and businesses at risk. These are intended solely for the protection of your home or business.

For the delivery of sandbags phone:
01732 227000 during office hours
01732 462222 out of office hours

If you have an enquiry about the sandbag distribution service, contact the Emergency Planning Officer.

Sandbags can be purchased from the Council's Dunbrik Depot, see the Sandbags and Road Salt page. You can also buy sandbags from most builders' merchants.

After a flood you should dispose of sandbags that have been contaminated with petrol, oil, diesel or sewage. Those that have not been contaminated should be kept for reuse. Bags supplied by the Council are made of polypropylene that will eventually degrade in daylight. To prolong their life it is best to store them under cover.

There are other ways to protect your property using proprietary barriers. Details of suppliers can be found on the 'Help Yourself' section of the Environment Agency 'flood' website together with further information on flooding and flood defence.

The Environment Agency also operates an automated flood warning service for people whose property is in the flood plains of the main rivers (the Darent, Medway and Eden in Sevenoaks District).

If you need to receive these warnings, please phone Floodline on 0845 988 1188. If the Agency can't provide this service for you, please contact the Council's Emergency Planning Officer.

The better prepared you are, the better you'll cope with the effects. The Environment Agency has published the following helpful checklist:

Keep a list of useful numbers to hand, for example, the Council, the emergency services, your insurance company and Floodline - 0845 988 1188
Have a few sandbags or floorboards prepared to block doorways and airbricks
Make up a flood kit, including a torch, blankets, waterproof clothing, wellingtons, a portable radio, first aid kit, rubber gloves and key personal documents. Keep it upstairs, if possible
Talk about possible flooding with your family or those you live with. Consider writing a flood plan, and store these notes with your flood kit
Make sure you know where to turn off your gas and electricity
What about your pets? Where will you move them to if a flood is on the way?
Think about your car. Where could you move it to in the event of a Flood Warning?
Get into the habit of storing valuable or sentimental personal belongings upstairs or in a high place downstairs
Think about medication. In the event of a flood, you'll still need to take it

For information about flood warnings in force in your area, call the Environment Agency Floodline on 0845 988 1188 and, when prompted, enter the quick-dial number for the section of river that affect you:

River Darent from Westerham to Chipstead - 012631
River Darent from Chipstead to Dartford - 012632
River Medway from Forest Row to Penshurst - 0126411
River Medway from Penshurst to Leigh Barrier - 0126412
River Medway from Leigh Barrier to Tonbrige - 0126413
River Eden and the Eden Brook - 0126431

Pets and floods

The Blue Cross have produced a leaflet about looking after your pets during floods. It can be downloaded from here: Pets and Floods ( PDF 2680K file details).

Who to contact in the event of a flood

If your property is flooded, see the questions and answers below for further advice and contacts:

Is the flooding from a private sewer?
This is a private matter - residents own responsibility along with residents who share the sewer. Contact a company that can clear the sewer. You can find details in a telephone directory or on-line.

Is it from a public sewer?
Contact your local water company. Details will be on your water bill. Alternatively click on the following link for details of local water companies.

Is if from the public highway?
Refer to Kent Highway. Click on the following link for details of how to contact Kent County Council Highways.

Is if from a water main or stop cock?
Contact your local water company. Details will be on your water bill. Alternatively click on the following link for details of local water companies.

Is it from a river
Contact the Environment Agency or call 0845 988 1188 for general information or 0800 807060 to inform the Environment Agency or a flooding incident.

Is it from a minor watercourse?
Contact Sevenoaks District Council's Emergency Planning officer.

Further information
If you have any further queries, please contact the District Councilâ€™s Emergency Planning Officer:

Jeff Seear
Emergency Planning Officer
Sevenoaks District Council
Argyle Road
Sevenoaks
Kent
TN13 1HG
Tel: 01732 227303
Fax: 0870 1914826
E-mail emergency.planning@sevenoaks.gov.uk

Sevenoaks District Council,
Council Offices,
Argyle Road,
Sevenoaks,
Kent
TN13 1HG

01732 227000