Be prepared for flooding

Property owners are responsible for protecting their own property from flooding. 

For advice on preparing for flooding, please see the Environment Agency website and Hampshire County Council's reducing flood risk page.

You can check whether your property is at risk by using the Environment Agency long-term flood risk maps.

Sandbags and other flood management measures can be bought from builders’ merchants, hardware or DIY stores.

You can check for current flood risk information and flood warnings by visiting the government's website on flooding.

You can sign up to the Environment Agency's flood warning register if your home or business is at risk of flooding from rivers and groundwater.

If you are at risk of flooding, you can prepare a personal flood plan using a checklist from the Environment Agency.

Property owner responsibilities

Property owners are also responsible for:

• managing and maintaining any water courses or drainage ditches within their property boundary, known as riparian owners. Please see Hampshire County Council's leaflet on riparian ownership.
• The drains which carry household waste are normally the property owner’s (or the landlord’s) responsibility up until the boundary of the property where they connect to public sewers. See Ofwat's responsibility for pipes and sewers.
• If you have a septic tank or small sewage treatment plant, you must ensure they don’t overflow and cause pollution. You may need to apply for a permit in some places. More information can be found on the government’s septic tank webpage.