Flooding

The following notes give guidance on who to contact for various types of flooding:

Flooding from Public Sewers

Thames Water own and manage the network of public foul and surface water sewers. The majority of public sewers are located in highways and the Council has a copy of the Thames Water sewer maps, which can be viewed at the Civic Offices. To report an overflowing public sewer, you should call Thames Water Customer Services on 08459 200 800 (24 hour service).

Flooding from Private Sewers or Drains

If your private drains or sewers are overflowing, you will need a drainage contractor to deal with any blockage. See "Yellow Pages" under "Drain and Pipe Cleaning". If you are uncertain if any blockage is in the public or private sewers, Thames Water should be able to determine this, once on site, then recharge you the cost of any work on the private sewers.

Flooding from the Public Highway

For flooding from the public highway or reporting blocked road gullies or gratings, contact Hampshire Highways North office at Hook, on 0845 603 5633.

Flooding from a Burst Water Main

The local water supply company are South East Water of 3 Church Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3NY; telephone number 01444 448200 (Head Office) or 0845 301 0845 (Customer Call Centre). The water company are responsible for their supply up to and including the water stopcock.

Flooding from a Water Service Pipe or Internal Pipework

This is the responsibility of the homeowner or landlord and would need the attention of a plumber (see "Yellow Pages" or similar directories).

Flooding from a Main River

The main rivers in the Hart district include the Hart, Blackwater and Whitewater and are the responsibility of the Environment Agency. The Agency's general enquiry number is 08708 506 506, and their 24hr Floodline advice and information service for floods and flood warnings is 0845 988 1188.

Flooding from Watercourses, other than Main Rivers

Watercourses, other than main rivers, are the responsibility of riparian owners. You are a riparian owner if your property or land is on, or very near, a watercourse. Riparian owners have a duty to keep the watercourse clear of any obstruction to flow and the Council can serve legal notices on riparian owners to deal with obstructions. Some relatively small watercourses, that are known to pose a high risk of property flooding if they become blocked have been re-classified as 'Main River' and are now managed by the Environment Agency.  For advice, during office hours, ring Hart District Council on 01252 774426.

Provision of Sandbags to Protect against Flooding

The Council makes sandbags available to residents of the district, during emergency situations, to enable them to protect their homes from flooding. However, residents who are aware that their homes are at a high risk of flooding, e.g. as a result of the close proximity of a watercourse, are recommended to obtain sandbags from a builders' merchant to enable early preparation, as at times of flooding the Council's contractor may not be able to reach all properties before flooding occurs.

For sandbags in emergencies during office hours telephone 01252 774426 and out of hours 01252 622122 for the number of the Council's contractor.

Jewson ( 01252 613555) at 128 Clarence Road and Travis Perkins (01252 613681) in Fleet Road, Fleet or (01252 843366) at Albion Place, Hartley Wintney can generally supply empty sandbags plus bags of sand.