Residents Asked to Check They Are Flood-Ready

Reading residents are being advised to check they are ‘flood ready’ ahead of the change in weather this autumn.

With rain arriving after many months of dry weather, five heatwaves to date, and much of the country officially declared to be in drought, Reading Borough Council is asking residents to think about their flood risk now, ahead of the wetter months to come, and to do everything they can to be prepared.

Weeks of continuous heat have created extremely hard ground conditions everywhere. While more saturated ground ordinarily allows for delayed surface water run-off, heavy spells of rain on dry ground can cause flash flooding as the water runs off hard ground rather than soaking in. This can quickly overwhelm local drains and the Thames Water surface water sewers, with potentially serious knock-on effect on some properties.

Climate change brings with it more challenging weather patterns, including increased storms and more intense rainfall which, combined with the hard ground, can increase the risk of sudden and damaging surface water flooding once the drought and drier weather comes to an end.

Where residents have experienced flooding or flash flooding before, the Council is asking them to:

• Prepare by purchasing and storing your own sandbags
• Those who have flood guards, ensure they are readily available to deploy
• Ensure you have a plan in place to evacuate vulnerable family members, pets and young children
• Ensure valuable items are lifted off the floor in areas susceptible to flooding
• Visit https://www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding where they can check flooding risk for the next five days and the long-term forecast, sign up to flood warnings by text, phone, or email and also what to do should you be about to flood, as well as how to prepare your own flood plan.

Cllr Liz Terry, Leader of Reading Borough Council, said:

“It may seem counterintuitive to be talking about flooding after the long, hot dry summer we have just had, but that is exactly why we are asking residents to take a few sensible steps now in order to avoid possible problems in the weeks and months to come.

 “The hard ground everywhere increases the risk of surface water flooding significantly. Downpours can fall faster than the water can soak into the ground and large volumes of rainwater can quickly run off into streets, drains, sewers and low-lying areas.

 “This year, we have seen the wettest month on record nationally for rainfall in January, closely followed by the summer’s extreme heat and dry spell. It is widely acknowledged that climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of wet weather and intensity of rainfall events. The facts are, neither Thames Water’s sewers, or indeed the Council’s own gullies, are designed to withstand rainwater when it reaches a certain level.

 “If you have been affected by flash flooding in Reading before, maybe as a result of the location of your property, it’s a good idea now to think about your flood risk, ahead of a possible wet autumn and winter. There are a few practical steps you can take at this early stage, which could make a big difference in the months to come.”

Thames Water is responsible for the vast majority of the surface water sewers within the borough. For its part, the Councils maintains over 18,000 roadside gullies, including their connections to the main Thames Water sewer.

While cyclical cleansing and inspections of Council gullies take place, alongside extensive annual winter leaf-fall sweeping programme across tree lines roads, during intensive or prolonged rainfall events the capacity of the Thames Water sewers will ultimately determine the effectiveness of road gullies. Once the Thames Water surface water sewers are at capacity, no more rainwater can enter the sewer via the road gullies and in some cases may even surcharge back out.