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Am I at risk of flooding?

One in six properties in Newark and Sherwood is at risk of flooding. Check your flood risk.

Flooding is usually a consequence of a long period of rain or heavy downpours. It can be made worse by many variables including neglected culverts, saturated ground and blocked drainage systems. It’s hard to predict when flooding will happen because of these variables.

Whilst flooding events are difficult to predict, there are services available that can help alert you to when flooding is possible and help shore up your property’s defences should flooding actually occur.

Find out the latest flooding warnings

You can check for flooding on the government website. 

Visit our flood warnings page to find out more about the flood warning system and how to sign up for alerts form the Environment Agency’s Floodline.

Check local media and local weather forecasts as well as the Environment Agency's 5 day flood forecast for the latest situation and any warnings in your area.

Register to receive the Nottinghamshire County Council email flood bulletins. They provide advice and information on how to be prepared, how we’re responding and the latest situation in Nottinghamshire.

How to prepare for a flood

It is impossible to remove all danger of flooding but you can take reasonable measures to reduce the damage caused to your property and minimise the effect it will have on you and your family, these include:

  • making a flood plan - the Environment Agency offers advice to help you make a plan of what you need to do and think about if flooding threatens your property
  • get advice on preparing for an emergency from the Nottinghamshire County Council emergency planning team also provides information on how to prepare for an emergency, including flooding

How can I protect my property from flooding?

If you’re a homeowner, it is your responsibility to protect your property from flooding. There are a range of practical actions that you can take to reduce the impact of flooding on your property, from adapting your home to installing flood defences.  

Sandbags are a short term and relatively cheap way to manage flooding but only if they are filled and placed correctly. However, they are relatively ineffective when compared to purpose-designed flood protection products. They are of no use if a property is already flooded. Instead, residents should concentrate their efforts on protecting family members and belongings.

There is a watercourse on my land. What are my responsibilities?

An ordinary watercourse is any natural or artificial channel that water flows through, such as a river, including where a river flows through a culvert, brook, beck, or mill stream.

Find out your responsibilities if you have a watercourse on your land in this County Council leaflet. We have also created a waterside living in Newark and Sherwood (PDF File, 247kb) leaflet with more information.

If you want to carry out work that affects the flow of water or flood risk from an ordinary watercourse you need to get permission from the County Council.

Does the Council give out sandbags?

Residents are encouraged to make sure their property is protected as far as possible. When flooding is threatened, we may have limited supplies of Aqua-Sacs, not sandbags, that we can provide to vulnerable residents, who are unable to provide for their own. During an emergency flooding situation we try to distribute Aqua-Sacs to people and properties most in need. Please call us on 01636 650000 and we will ask you some questions and assess the priority of your needs. We will always try to help if we can.

Where can I get sandbags?

You can buy unfilled sandbags and a supply of sand from most DIY stores and builders merchants. You can also purchase filled sandbags and aqua sacs from selective suppliers. Read advice on the government website about using sandbags correctly.

What is an Aqua-Sac?

An Aqua-Sac bag is a sturdy sack containing a superabsorbent polymer (SAP). After soaking in water for five to eight minutes the bag self-inflates to over 30 times its original size. After inflation, the aqua-sac can be used in the construction of flood defences in a similar way to using traditional sandbags.

When deflated aqua-sacs are lighter and easier to handle than sandbags.

How can we prepare as a community?

Flooding usually affects whole communities not just individual properties. If your area is at risk, work together with other people in your community to prepare, act together and support each other. During widespread flooding it helps emergency services if communities are prepared for flooding and able to support the response.

Your community can be better prepared by:

  • speaking to the county council's emergency planning team, who provide support to communities to help them be prepared for emergencies, including guidance and templates on preparing a community emergency plan
  • signing up to the Flood Warden scheme and the County Council’s Community Flood Signage Scheme - the aim of the scheme is to close flooded roads quickly to help stop vehicles from driving through and creating bow waves which can cause property flooding.
  • for more information and advice on how you and your community can prepare for flooding, contact us or contact the Nottinghamshire County Council emergency planning team on emergency.planning@nottscc.gov.uk

What else can I do to prepare for a flood?

Get more details on preparing for a flood on the government’s website. You can also read the Environment Agency leaflet: what to do before, during and after a flood [PDF] for practical advice.

Further Information

Further information is available on our website including in our flood FAQs and on our what to do during a flood and what to do after a flood webpages.