Flooding
In December 2008 the council adopted a revised Policy Statement on Flood Defence for Basingstoke and Deane (48KB)
This sets out the council’s assessment of flooding risk within the borough and identifies plans for reducing and managing these risks.
Protecting your property from flooding
It is the responsibility of property owners to take appropriate action to protect their property from flooding.
No drainage system or flood alleviation measure can give absolute protection against all flooding events.
Flooding can occur anywhere, even if you live away from watercourses, because the drainage system - whether open watercourses or pipes - can be overwhelmed by the amount of water. In addition, when the ground is saturated even small amounts of rainfall will have difficulty draining away from gardens and enclosed spaces; and this can often lead to flooding, puddling or ponding.
The impact of this on a community and the risks it creates can be significant; so when severe rainfall is anticipated the council works closely with the Environment Agency and Hampshire County Council to reduce the risk of flooding within the borough.
Who is responsible for dealing with flooding?
The following documents provide a summary of the various roles and responsibilites associated with flooding and provide useful contact details for the organisations who, depending on the circumstances, may be able to offer assistance.
Roles and responsibilities (252KB)
Useful contact details (155KB)
Does the council offer any assistance?
The council holds a supply of sandbags ready to deploy at times of severe flooding. When requests for assistance are received they are prioritised and logged. Depending on the scale and location of flooding it may not be possible to provide assistance to you in time, therefore you are advised to seek your own supply of sandbags or other floodprevention devices. Enquires about the provision of sandbags should be made by telephoning the council’s main switchboard on (01256) 844844.
Further information about flooding can be found by clicking the following link to Hampshire County Council's emergency flooding webpage:
HCC emergency flooding webpage
In addition to this, the Environment Agency has published flood advice guides containing practical information on what to do before, during and after a flood. The following link will take you to the Environment Agency Webpage:
Environment Agency Flood Advice Notes
Land drainage
Land drainage deals with natural flows such as rivers and watercourses. Individual landowners are responsible for the drainage of their own land and for accepting and dealing with natural flows from adjoining land. Land owners (often referred to as riparian owners) are also responsible for the maintenace of watercourse that pass through or abutt their property.
Further information about your rights and responsibilities as a land owner are outlined in the Enviornment Agency booklet ‘Living on the edge’ www.environment-agency.gov.uk
The council has various permissive powers available to enable it to intervene where ordinary watercourses become obstructed. The Environment Agency has similar permissive powers in respect of main rivers.
If you have a land drainage or flooding issue and require advice, please e-mail neighbourhood.dev@basingstoke.gov.uk, telephone (01256) 845216 or write to:
Neighbourhood Development
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Civic Offices
London Road
Basingstoke
RG21 4AH