West Oxfordshire District Council - Flooding

Flooding

Flood warnings service

You can sign up to receive regular updates from the Environment Agency's flood alerts and flood warnings service. These are delivered by phone, email or text message if your home or business is at risk of flooding.

• Sign up online at GOV.UK
• Call: 0345 988 1188

Oxfordshire Flood toolkit

The Oxfordshire flood toolkit gives information and advice, including how to take action against the potential menace posed by flooding.

Report flooding

Call 999 for immediate assistance if there is a risk to life or a risk of serious property or environmental damage.

As well as contacting the relevant bodies listed below, please report all flooding incidents to:

• either the County Council emergency response team or
• the District Council emergency response team.

The County and District engineering teams will then also be made aware of the issue for future reference and action.

Protect your home from flooding

For useful information on how to prepare for a flood:

• Visit: GOV.UK
• Visit: Environment Agency
• Download the Environment Agency's leaflet - Preparing your property for flooding
• Download the Environment Agency & Public Health England's guide: Flooding - advice for the public
• download and complete a flood plan

If you are affected by flooding and are in need of temporary accommodation, please call us on 01993 861000.

Sandbags

When there is an imminent risk of flooding to property, supported by an Environment Agency Flood Alert or Flood Warning being declared, sandbags are given out free of charge. We will deliver sandbags to the elderly or disabled at times of need.

To arrange collection of ready-made sandbags from Witney call:

• 01993 861000

In an emergency loose sand and bags are available for householders to make up themselves at the following neighbourhood sandbag centres:

• Ascott-under-Wychwood: Car park next to A-U-W village hall, Shipton Road (location map)
• Burford: The Rec Car Park, Tanners Lane (location map­)
• Charlbury: Charlbury Bowls Club, Ticknell Piece Road (location map)
• Clanfield: Car park next to the Carter Institute, Main Road (location map)
• Milton-under-Wychwood: Car park next to M-U-W village hall, Shipton Road (location map)
• Northmoor: Village Hall, Church Road (location map)
• Shipton-under-Wychwood: The New Beaconsfield Hall and Recreation Ground, Station Road (location map)
• Standlake: St Giles Church, Downs Road (location map)

Building a sandbag wall

Sandbags are cloth bags that hold sand or soil so that a low wall can be built to dam the flow of water. Lay plastic sheeting under and around the wall to make it more water tight and use the sandbags to hold the plastic in place. Sandbags are only effective for water up to about 20cm/8" deep.

• See: Building a sandbag wall videoclip
• Download: Sandbags and how to use them properly for flood protection (Environment Agency)

Make your own sandbags

You can use the following as sandbags:

• bin liners or carrier bags filled with soil
• grow bags are the right shape and light enough to be carried around
• buy products that inflate from the National Flood Forum directory (see Protect your home from flooding section above).

Property owners/occupiers should reuse or dispose of their own sandbags once the risk of flooding has subsided:

• Empty and dry the sacks so they can be used again
• Dig the sand into the garden to help with drainage.

Travel during flooding

Walking: Do not walk through flooded areas - there may be hidden dangers such as open drains, damaged road surfaces, submerged debris or deep channels.

Transport and travel: Do not try to drive through flooded roads or fords - the water is often deeper than it looks and your vehicle may be swept away or you may become stranded.

For the latest travel and transport information visit:

• Oxfordshire County Council - for road closures, travel and emergency information.
• Stagecoach - for local bus services updates.
• First Great Western and Chiltern Railways - for updates on rail services.

Clearing up after a flood

For useful information :

• Download the Environment Agency & Public Health England's guide: Flooding - advice for the public
• Visit GOV.UK's webpage: Prepare for a flood and get help during and after

For health related queries:

• Visit: Public Health England

Do not re-enter your house until all floodwater has been removed. The fire service may be able to help you with pumping floodwater out of your house but if the water is still rising, there is no point pumping out as it will only come straight back in. See:

• Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service