Flooding from highway drains

A very important feature of road construction is drainage. New roads include designed drainage systems intended to remove water efficiently from the surface of the highway to provide a safe passage for all vehicles and pedestrians.

Older roads may have less sophisticated drainage, but all have features designed to take the water away from the road surface. It is necessary to clean and maintain this drainage so that it works properly.

Problems can occur even when drainage provisions are clean and well maintained. Flooded and waterlogged roads result when the amount of water arriving on the road is greater than the capacity of the drainage facilities that take it away.

Exceptional rainfall, a road being in a low lying area, changes in 'run off' from adjacent fields and rivers overflowing are some situations that can lead to the road flooding or being waterlogged even when drains are in good working order. Material carried into the drains by floods can also lead to them becoming blocked.

Drainage grills and gratings (e.g. on gullies) can become blocked very quickly when materials like mud are deposited on the road or when there is a heavy fall of leaves. If a flooded road is caused by a ruptured water main the water company will be responsible for repairing the damage.

Water is directed to drains by the road profile. Puddles (ponding) tend to occur if there is a depression in the road. This can be rectified if necessary by local patching of the road surface.

The following notes give guidance on who to contact for various types of flooding, not just limited to highways:

Flooding from Public Sewers

The water companies own and manage the network of public foul and surface water sewers. The majority of public sewers are located in highways. To report an overflowing public sewer, you should call the water company to whom you pay water and sewer rates

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, the water company should be able to determine this, although once on site, they will probably charge 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, please contact us on the details below.

Flooding from a Burst Water Main

The local water supply company are the company to whom you pay your water rates

 

The water company are responsible for their supply up to and including the water stopcock.

Flooding from an internal water pipe or sewer

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 are the responsibility of the Environment Agency, on 0845 933 3111. In addition, the Agency provide a "Floodline", which is a 24 hour advice and information service for floods and flood warning on 0845 988 1188.

Flooding from Watercourses, other than Main Rivers

Watercourses, other than main rivers, are normally 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. Certain "strategic" watercourses, that are known to pose a high risk of flooding if they become blocked, are checked and maintained by Drainage Boards, details of which can be found in telephone directories or on the web.

Provision of Sandbags to Protect against Flooding

Bedfordshire Highways makes sandbags available to the Fire and Rescue Service during emergency situations, to help them deal with property 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 and to visit the  (new window) website where the is a wealth of useful information

To report any problems with road surface water drains, please use the contact details below

Highways Helpdesk
Bedfordshire County Council
6th Floor
County Hall
Bedford
MK42 9AP

Tel: (01234) 228661
Email: highways@bedscc.gov.uk |