Flooding advice

Have you been flooded?

Have a look at our frequently asked questions for flood victims.

Who to contact in a flooding emergency

If there is a flooding emergency, where life is at risk - 999
Environment Agency emergency floodline - 0345 988 1188
To report flooding on highways including drains and manhole covers, contact Devon County council
For flooding on major trunk roads contact the Highways Agency on 0300 123 5000 (24 hour service)
For North Devon Council Emergency Out of Hours Assistance for emergency housing support, public health issues and building control call 01271 388240
To report flooding from sewers and water pipes contact South West Water on 0844 346 2020 (24 hours service)
If there is structural damage that poses a danger, you need to contact our Building Control service. Fill in this online form or call 01884 234974/ 01884 234345 or email the team at mail@nmdbuildingcontrol.co.uk. If it’s outside of normal working hours, please contact our out of hours service on 01271 388240

Flooding advice in three steps

If you think your property is at risk of flooding, then you should take early preventative measures to protect your home.

Sign up for free flood warnings – Go to Floodline Warnings Direct or phone Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (24 Hour Service)
Prepare a flood plan – This could be a personal flood plan for your property or a community flood plan to help groups plan how to work together
Prepare a flood kit – Create a kit of essential items and keep it to hand

Practical flood advice is available on the Environment Agency website.

For general enquiries about main river or flooding from the sea contact the Environment Agency on 0370 850 6506

For all other flooding enquiries contact the Devon County Council Flood Risk Management Team on 0345 155 1015 or email floodrisk@devon.gov.uk

Sandbags

North Devon Council does not provide sandbags to individuals. Some town and parish councils may decide to maintain a limited stock of sandbags.

Sandbags can be purchased from most builders merchants or DIY stores. If your house is under threat and you are unable to obtain any sandbags, you may need to improvise. Bin liners or carrier bags with soil dug from your garden can help, or soil wrapped in a bath towel laid across the bottom of the door.
Do not leave it until the last minute; be prepared and keep a supply on hand if you live in a high flood risk area.

Other flood prevention products and services

There are a number of permanent flood prevention methods that homeowners may want to consider. Some of these include:

flood gates
non-return valves on draining
proofing services, such as solid floors or moving electrics

There are various commercial companies specialising in these types of products and services. Homeowners will need to contact these companies direct.

Insurance information

The government and insurance companies have been working together to develop a different way of dealing with flood insurance - called Flood Re. You can find more information about Flood Re and a list of participating insurers on the Flood Re website.

Information is also available from the National Flood Forum - charity to help, support and represent people at risk of flooding, offering a helpline as well for practical guidance

Monitoring the weather

If you are at risk of coastal or surface water flooding it is always advisable to monitor the weather to understand how approaching storms may impact on your area. You can download a useful app from the Met Office National Severe Weather Warning Service.

Flood Investigations and Prevention of Future Floods

Following a flooding incident, where a number of properties and businesses are affected, the council works with the Environment Agency and Devon County Council to investigate the causes of the flooding.

This information will then be used by Devon County Council's Flood Risk Management Team to produce a flood incident report. Further information about the work of the Devon County Council, along with some of the most recently produced flood reports are available online.