If there is a risk to life then call the emergency services on 999, ask for the Fire and Rescue Service. 

If there is a severe and imminent risk of the property being flooded and you have no prevention items at all then you can contact the Council on 01908 252353 (out of hours 01908 226699) to request sandbags from the Highway team. These will only be distributed if there is a severe risk and the team only keep a small stock in case of emergencies.

• Deploy any flood prevention products that you have such as sandbags, aqua sacs, bags of soil or door dams.
• Put together an overnight bag of essential items including any home insurance documents.
• Switch off electric and gas and move any valuables and pets upstairs.
• Move vehicles to a safe location.

More detailed information on steps to take can be viewed here: What to do in a flood event

1 in 6 properties in England are at risk of flooding from rivers, sea and surface water, with many others susceptible to various sources of flooding. This number is only set to increase due to climate change, making the need for you as a property owner to check your own risk ever more important.

You can check your long term flood risk on the Environment Agency website.

If you live near a river, you can check whether the Environment Agency have issued any flood alerts or flood warnings here.

You can also check this flood map for planning, which is used in development planning to find out the flood risk in a given location, and indicates which flood zone an area is in.

You can also check you flood risk by calling the Environment Agency's Floodline: 0345 988 1188.

Sign up to the Environment Agency flood warning service if your property is at risk of flooding from a main river.

Sign up to weather warnings from the MET Office so you can be prepared if the forecast is for heavy rain or thunderstorms. 

Who to contact?

Flooding - who to contact and when guide is a summary of  key contacts in the event of a flood event including the emergency numbers. 

General flooding concerns from surface water, groundwater or ordinary watercourses

Flooding concerns that relate to surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses (outside of IDB area), that are not an emergency, can be  reported to the Lead Local Flood Authority for an investigation (please provide detail location, description of issue and any photographs to Lead Local Flood Authority LLFA@milton-keynes.gov.uk). 

Report internal flooding

As the Lead Local Flood Authority, we have a duty to investigate flooding incidents that occurred. If you experienced internal flooding, incidents can be reported via the Report a  Flood Form: Report a Flood. This report  can be used to report flooding issues after an incident has occurred and must not be used in an emergency. This form collates information to investigate flood events only and no response will be provided to a person submitting the report. Once reported, submission will be reviewed in line with  our flood investigation protocol which can be found here: Flood investigations | Milton Keynes City Council (milton-keynes.gov.uk)

Gullies and flooding in the highway

For information about flooding on a road or footway including how to report a blocked road gully, visit  Gullies and flooding on the highway.

Report flooding from water pipes or sewers

Responsibility for the pipework that supplies clean water is shared between property owners and water companies. Get in touch with water companies for sewer flooding. Anglian Water covers most of the Milton Keynes area for sewage and water supply.

Report flooding from a main river or the sea

To report river flooding contact the Environment Agency  incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 to speak to an operator for advice 24 hours a day or listen to recorded flood warning information for your area. Further details can be found on Environment Agency website Report a flood or possible cause of flooding - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Private drains

Floods caused by private drains are the responsibility of the property owner.

Communities in Milton Keynes organise themselves in Community Flood Action Groups and/or preparing Flood Plans. Those groups play a key role in flooding events and their hard work and dedication means that properties and vehicles can be potentially saved from flooding.

Membership of a flood group can be anything from a couple of active neighbours to a formal organisation who meet on a regular basis to work on behalf of the local community to help reduce the impact of flooding. Flood groups may do some or all of the following:

• Support the community to sign up to flood warnings
• Develop a community flood action plan
• Prepare for flooding and take some actions to help during a flood event
• Develop knowledge of local flood risk
• Create a communication network such as through email, WhatsApp or Facebook to share information and warnings
• Identify vulnerable residents or frequently flooded areas.

Officers in the Flood and Water Management Team can provide support to anyone who is interested in setting up a Community Flood Action Group and we can also put you in touch with other local groups to learn from each other. We can support you in securing  flood kits which include items to help before, during and after a flood event e.g., high-vis jackets, flood signs, torches and a storage facility to make it accessible to the community in the event of a flood.