Residents and Businesses in Charnwood Are Urged to Be ‘Flood Ready’

Residents and businesses in Charnwood are being urged to consider their flood risk and whether they need to take steps to protect their properties.
The borough council has put together some key information to help residents and businesses understand the issues around flooding.
It follows flooding incidents in the borough in recent years. In January 2024, hundreds of homes and businesses in Charnwood were flooded internally after Storm Henk battered the country.
There are multiple agencies involved in preventing and responding to flooding incidents, including:
* The Environment Agency
* Leicestershire County Council as the local lead flood authority and is also responsible for highways
borough and district councils like Charnwood
* The emergency services
* Other organisations like water and sewerage companies
Residents and businesses are advised to consider some of the following advice:
* Sign up for free flood warnings from the Environment Agency so you can keep up to date with the latest situation in your area. Visit https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings. You can also sign up to receive alerts by phone by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188
* If your property has flooded before or you believe it could do so in the future, consider purchasing sandbags or any other flood prevention measures. Sandbags are available from some DIY stores and Blue Pages is a directory of companies which supply flood prevention products and services. It has been put together by the charity the National Flood Forum. Visit https://www.bluepages.org.uk
* Consider creating a personal or business flood plan which sets out steps you can take now to better prepare yourself for flooding:
* For personal flood plans visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-flood-plan
* For business flood plans visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-your-business-for-flooding
* Ensure your home has the proper insurance in place. If your property has a high risk of flooding, Flood Re may be able to help. It is an initiative between Government and insurers to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable. Visit https://www.floodre.co.uk
* Do not travel through flooded areas. Six inches of water can cause you to lose control of your car and even shallow fast-moving water can sweep you off your feet.
Here are some other handy website addresses and phone numbers:
* The National Flood Forum is a charity that offers advice and support. Its website is
* https://www.nationalfloodforum.org.uk and their phone number is 01299 403055.
* https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/flooding – contains information, advice and signposting to other agencies
* https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/flooding-and-drainage – this is Leicestershire County Council’s website section about flooding. The County Council is the local lead flood authority and is also responsible for local roads.
* Floodline helpline – telephone:
0345 988 1188 / textphone: 0345 602 6340 (Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
https://www.llrprepared.org.uk/be-aware/flooding/ – contains information and advice about flooding.
A spokesperson for Charnwood Borough Council said: “We appreciate that flooding can have a devastating impact on residents and businesses.
“We are encouraging people and businesses to be aware of the risk of flooding and, if appropriate, take some steps to improve protection for their properties.”
For more information about flooding, including links to other sources of information and advice, visit our web page https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/flooding