
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning of rain for the south west, including parts of Wiltshire such as Trowbridge, Westbury and Bradford on Avon. The warning begins at midnight tonight and lasts until midday tomorrow, though this may change. With the current saturated grounds and river levels this rain will result in flooding and further road closures. We are working hard to reduce the impact of flooding by taking proactive measures such as gulley emptying and drainage clearance. However, with the volume of debris entering the drainage system, there may be some localised flooding. People can report any blocked gullies or property flooding using MyWilts.
Responding to flooding
We prioritise our resources on safety on the roads, so we focus on high-speed roads and where water from the highway is causing internal property flooding, though this does not include driveways or outbuildings such as sheds. We record all incidents of flooding that are not covered by the priority response. If the issues are gulley emptying, grip cutting or other council managed general maintenance activities, the work is scheduled for action through the normal day activities. We have invested more funding into these maintenance activities to enable a faster response. Where specialist work is required, such as blocked culverts, this will be addressed by our Drainage team and can take a little longer due to their work requirements.
Flood plans
This winter has tested the resilience of both personal and parish flood plans, and where there has been internal property flooding, we have given advice on how to reduce the impact of this and how to be prepared. Many towns and parishes have a flood plan, as well as flood wardens or volunteers to assist in enabling communities to be as resilient as possible when dealing with flooding. If your community does not have a plan, find out how to make one, or contact drainage@wiltshire.gov.uk to find out more.
Highways safety
When travelling our advice is, if you have to turn your windscreen wipers on, you should slow down; and we always advise people not to drive through floodwater.
More information
Comments