Clearing up
If you need large items damaged by flooding to be collected from your property, you can find out about Bulky Waste collections here.
We are unable to supply skips to support clean up activity. You can contact local plant hire suppliers.
If you have a council owned property our Housing Teams will be working with you to support clean up activity. If you need to speak with our Housing team phone us on 0300 123 2224
You can find more information on the National Flood Forum website What should I do? – National Flood Forum
Sandbag disposal
At home
Where possible, sandbags and gel bags should be dried out for reuse. The best way to do this is to raise them off the ground while they dry to help prevent mould forming. If this is not possible, you can remove the contents by splitting the bag and distributing or burying the contents in your garden.
The sacks can then be put in your refuse bin – the gel used in the bags is harmless and fully biodegradable.
Recycling sites
You can take bags, of sand or gel, to any of Somerset’s 16 recycling sites and you should put them in the ‘landfill/non-recyclable’ skip. You should handle any sacks contaminated with raw sewage with care – wearing gloves and washing your hands thoroughly afterwards. You should ‘double-bag’ them in black bags and take them to your local recycling site for the ‘landfill/non-recyclable’ skip.
Insurance
Property owners should contact their insurance provider as soon as possible to make them aware of the damage to your property.
If you feel flood damage has been caused due to something we have unreasonably done or not done, you will need to complete the online insurance claim form.
Following the floods of 2007, DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and the Association of British Insurers have developed information for householders and businesses about insurance in areas that are at risk. There is also information on flood resilient homes and what you can do to reduce flood damage.
Flood Re is a joint Government and insurance industry initiative to help you find affordable insurance for qualifying properties that are at risk of flooding or have been flooded.
Council Tax relief
In accordance with Section 13a of the Local Government Finance Act, a discretionary reduction may be available if your property has been flooded. Please contact us for more information.
Government payments for communities affected by flooding
After flooding, the government may give money to the local communities affected by it. The amount of money given is often based on the number of properties that were damaged. So, it is important to report any damage using the FORT system.
Information about any available funding programs will be posted here.
Report an incident to help prevent future risk of flooding
We have a lot of very detailed information about the areas of Somerset that are at risk of flooding, but we would like your help to inform our work. If you have experienced flooding in Somerset, and have information, pictures or video footage that you would be happy to share with us, we would be very pleased to hear from you. Please send any relevant information to flooding@somerset.gov.uk
We will use the information you provide to form a detailed picture of flood risk across Somerset. This will help us understand the communities that are at greatest risk and allow measures to be put in place to prevent the risks where possible. It will also help the communities involved to consider necessary precautions to safeguard their land and properties.
Unfortunately, we will never be able to stop flooding from happening, but we can try to better understand the risks in an attempt to reduce the danger to people and property. Taking the time to fill in the form will help with multi-agency flood response, but this will not trigger an immediate response from any agency. You will be asked at a later date to provide an update to what happened.
You can report flooding now on this external website.
Water contamination
Flood water is contaminated with sewage and other sources of bacteria and chemicals. Therefore, it is essential that you take precautions to protect yourself such as washing your hands if you come into direct contact with flood water or items that have been in floodwater, and ensuring you clean your property effectively if you have been flooded.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) gives advice on food safety after a flooding incident.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) produces various leaflets on health issues after a flooding incident.
Visit the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) webpage on flooding.
Public Health England answers to frequently asked health questions about flooding.
More advice on what to do before, during and after a flood is available on GOV.UK
Looking after yourself
If you or people in your community have been involved in flooding, you may find this leaflet helpful. It explains how you might feel in the days and months after the flood and has information on how you could get help if you need it.
GOV.UK also has information on what happens in the weeks and months after a flood.
Read UKHSA’s advice on the mental health impacts of flooding.
Useful information and guidance
- Find details of who to contact on our emergency contacts page
- For help pumping out water from your property, please contact the Fire Service.
- For advice on how to deal with flooding please phone Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or visit Somerset Prepared
- For details of flood warnings, please visit the Environment Agency’s website.
- Report flooding on a road using our report a problem on a road form
- For information on emergency road closures, please visit Emergency road closure gates.
- For up-to-date information about adverse weather conditions affecting roads in Somerset, please visit our Roads, travel and parking section.
- Find Health advice from Public Health England
- For weather information, please visit the Met Office website.
- Find out what the flood warnings mean and what to do in a flood on GOV.UK
- Housing help if your home is flooded – What to do if your home is flooded, what help you can get from your landlord, your insurance company or Somerset Council, and how to find alternative accommodation if needed.