Flood awareness

Flooding emergencies

If there is an immediate risk to life or you are trapped by floodwater please call the emergency services on 999.

During widespread flooding the fire and rescue service is very busy and will prioritise its attendance to emergencies where there is a risk to life. 

Evacuating your home

If your home has serious internal flooding and you need to evacuate, the council will be able to activate a rest centre where you would be supported. Please contact us 01695 577177.

Sandbags

West Lancashire Borough Council does not provide sandbags.

You should take steps to protect the property you live in, whether you own or rent it.

Sandbags can be sourced from builders' merchants or DIY stores. If you don’t have any sandbags you can use alternatives such as pillow cases or refuse sacks and fill them with garden soil. Sandbags, however, only bring temporary relief from flood waters and the Council recommends that property owners investigate the use of other flood prevention tools. 

Flooding - who can assist?

 

Lead Local Flood Authorities

Lancashire County Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority covering the West Lancashire area. They are responsible for developing, maintaining and applying a strategy for local flood risk management in their areas and for maintaining a register of flood risk assets. They also have lead responsibility for managing the risk of flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses.

In the first instance flooding should be reported to – www.lancashire.gov.uk/flooding or telephone: 0300 123 6780

The Flood Hub – One stop shop for all flood information

The Flood Hub has been designed by the North West Regional Flood & Coastal Committee, to be a one stop shop for flood information & resources to support householders, businesses & communities across the North West in becoming more flood resilient.

The site includes information about:

  • Preparing for flooding – guidance on how to sign up for flood warnings & how to create a flood plan
  • Reporting flooding – who to report various types of flooding to
  • Recovering from flooding – Clean up advice & insurance guidance

The website address is: https://thefloodhub.co.uk

 

Flooding from roadside drains and gullies

Contact Lancashire County Council 0300 123 6780 or visit: www.lancashire.gov.uk/flooding

Flooding from surface water, groundwater or watercourses

Flooding from surface water, groundwater or watercourses (stream, ditches or culverts) should be reported to Lancashire County Council 0300 123 6780 or visit www.lancashire.gov.uk/flooding

Flooding from sewers, blocked drains or burst water mains

You should contact United Utilities - 0345 672 3723 24 hours a day or online at https://www.unitedutilities.com/emergencies/got-a-problem/blocked-drains/

Rivers and the sea

For flooding from the sea or a main river including:

  • A blockage, for example caused by a fallen tree 
  • Collapsed or badly damaged river or canal banks
  • Unusual changes in river flow

Call the Environment Agency Incident hotline on 0800 807060

Flooding from a Drain or Culvert owned by West Lancashire Borough Council

For flooding caused by a drain or culvert owned by the Council, please report this using this link https://portal.westlancs.gov.uk/selfserve

Please provide as many details as possible including the location of the site and the issues it is causing. Please do not use this link to report an emergency, please call 01695 577177 to report emergencies.

Private drains

Floods caused by private drains are the responsibility of the homeowner.

More information can be found at Sewers and drains explained | United Utilities

General advice

If you are unsure of the source of the flooding or would like to speak to an advisor, you can contact the Extended Floodline Service on: 0345 9881188, where staff from the Environment Agency will be able to signpost you to the most relevant agency.

Flooding Insurance advice

Flood Re is the national scheme designed to help provide better access to affordable home insurance for those in high risk flood risk areas across the UK. It represents a long term, sustainable approach to providing home insurance for those at flood risk and provides a link of participating insurers. Visit https://www.floodre.co.uk for more information.