Flooding and heavy rain

In the event of severe weather: please refer to live updates on the Weather health alert service (from UK Health Security Agency, UKHSA), Met Office website and Environment Agency website. For council service updates see: A&W on Facebook, A&W on Twitter. See also the useful tips and advice below:

Floods

Floods can happen anywhere at any time, although some places are more at risk than others. Flooding can be caused by:

rising groundwater levels
burst water drains
hillside run-off after a burst of heavy rain
flooding from rivers or the sea

Climate change is increasing the risk of flooding.

Current flood warnings

Only a small proportion of properties in Adur and Worthing are classified as being at risk from flooding in certain conditions.

You can check for flood alerts and see which locations are most at risk from flooding using the following links:

Report flooding

Be prepared

If you live in a flood risk area you should plan how you will respond to a flood by making a personal flood plan. If you are a business owner you should also prepare one for your business.

Flood plan templates can be downloaded from GOV.UK:

Prepare for flooding - on the GOV.UK website

Further information and advice can be found on the following sites:

Protect your property

You should make your own arrangements to protect your property if you are at risk of flooding.

We do not routinely supply sandbags to residents. We hold a small stock to protect critical infrastructure such as pumping stations and substations. Sandbags can be purchased from some DIY or building supplies shops, although the Environment Agency now recommends that using other flood protection products and methods are more effective.

For more information and advice on how to protect your property please see:

Protecting your property - on the National Flood Forum website

If you have a commercial property which you consider to be at risk of flooding you should carry out a risk assessment and ensure you have adequate protection in place. In the event of flooding we will respond to requests from the emergency services to protect strategic properties until the occupiers are on site.

Get flooding health advice

Flooding presents a number of health risks. Public Health England provides guidance on those health risks, and how to protect your health after a flood:

Flooding: health guidance and advice - on the GOV.UK website

Travel disruption

Floods may cause disruption to travel. Please consider whether it is necessary for you to travel and plan ahead before you leave. Allow extra time for your journey.

If you are planning to travel by public transport, please check with your service provider before you start your journey.

For further information please see: