Gloucestershire County Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) under the Flood and Water Management Act 2012 and has the statutory duty for developing a strategy to deal with local flood risks. This includes flooding from surface water, ordinary water courses (streams, drains and ditches which water flows through), groundwater, canals, lakes and small reservoirs.

Gloucester City Council works closely with the county council and other partners to develop this strategy in addition the City Council have carried out extensive works since 2007 clearing ditches, streams and brooks works and delivering flood alleviation schemes across the city including the construction of ponds to store water during heavy rainfall events. 

Sandbag policy

It is the responsibility of every property occupier or owner to protect their property against flooding from all sources. Gloucester City Council has a limited stock of sandbags  that are reserved for strategic deployment during flood events for the securing of existing or temporary defences and protecting essential services and infrastructure.

Householders are strongly urged not to rely on the Council for the provision of sandbags during a flood emergency. The Council do not have stocks to match potential  demand and it would be impossible to meet all demand within the timescale sometimes dictated by a flash flood situation. 

Where it is deemed appropriate following any strategic deployment, the Council may deliver sandbags to those vulnerable and at imminent risk of flooding to their living quarters, this is not a guarantee that sandbags will or can be delivered in time to prevent flooding.

Householders are strongly urged to check if their property may be at risk from flooding and consider action that can be taken now to prepare for a future emergency. Actions may be at the individual level or as part of action organised by community groups. 

Sandbags will not be provided to commercial or industrial premises unless they are considered of strategic importance. 

Where else can I go for advice?

• If you’ve been flooded, contact your insurance company and follow their advice. If you aren’t insured, the National Flood Forum can offer help and support on 01299 403055.
• The Environment Agency has Flood Support Officers who can provide information and advice regarding flooding. You can contact the Floodline (24-hour service) on 0345 988 1188 to find out how they can help.
• Flood Re – the not-for-profit, government-backed flood re-insurance scheme gives people living in flood-risk areas access to affordable home insurance. More information about Flood Re Scheme
• The National Flood Forum is a charity set up to help, support and represents people at risk of flooding. Visit the National Flood forum website

Sign up for flood alerts

If your home or business is at risk of flooding you can sign up to the Environment Agency’s Flood Warning Service. You can get warnings by phone, email or text message.

Sign up for the flood warning service.

What to do in an emergency - information and forward planning

For information on what to do in an emergency please see Gloucestershire County Council’s flood guide

The Environment Agency have also produced a personal flood plan to assist with planning for a flood.

Where can I find up-to-date river level data?​

View the live river data on the E​nvironment Agency website

What type of work on a watercourse requires consent?

More information about consent (PDF, 143.2 KB) .

How can I do my bit to reduce the risk of flooding? - greening up front gardens

Greening up front gardens helps to reduce the impacts of flooding by soaking up rainwater while paving, tarmac and concrete are less porous and increase runoff by as much as 50 per cent. This additional water usually flows into road gulleys, which can't always cope with the additional volumes during a storm. The excess water can then result in localised flooding issues including property flooding.

Other benefits of greening urban areas include:

• Improved air cooling in towns and cities in hot weather
• Insulation of buildings by garden vegetation
• Improved air quality
• Storm water mitigation which helps to reduce garden flooding
• A source of habitats for wildlife
• Improved health for plants and people who garden more

The Royal Horticultural Society are promoting the Greening up of Grey Britain and have a number of links, science reviews and useful guides of how to green up gardens.

Download RHS Front Garden Guide

Riparian responsibilities

Q: I own land or property alongside a watercourse. What responsibilities do I have?

A: Information can be obtained from the Gloucestershire County Council's website. 

Q: I live near a reservoir. Am I at risk of reservoir flooding?

A: Please view information from the Environment Agency.

Useful contact numbers to report flooding and burst water mains

Flooding from roads, public drains and standing water

Contact Gloucestershire Highways on 08000 514 514, for further information visit the Gloucestershire County Council website

Sewer flooding or a burst water main

Contact Seven Trent Water on 0800 783 4444, or for further information visit their website.

Private drains are the responsibility of the homeowner/occupier.

Flooding from Rivers and Watercourses

Call the Environment Agency Floodline on 0345 988 1188

Environment Agency incident hotline (including pollution issues)

0800 80 70 60 24-hour service, or for further information visit the website