Sandbags

The Council cannot provide sandbags to all households affected by flooding.

The Council will retain a small store of sandbags and in exceptional circumstances, on a case-by-case basis, may exercise discretion in supporting vulnerable residents affected by localised flooding. This support will be subject to the availability of sandbags and the specific nature of the localised flooding, to ensure that the deployment of sandbags would be possible, would not encourage residents to enter flood water where there is an identifiable health and safety risk in so doing, and where it is identifiable that sandbags would be effective in diverting the flow of flood water.

Once provided, save in exceptional circumstances, sandbags become the responsibility of the householder. The subsequent collection and disposal will not ordinarily be organised and paid for by the council.

All households in areas with a known flood risk are encouraged to make their own forward planning arrangements to ensure that their properties are protected by appropriate preventative measures that may be deployed in the event of a flooding incident. Further information on measures households could consider taking, is included at