How to check if your house is at risk of flooding

The government has warned people to prepare for the risk of flooding in their homes.

The Environment Agency launched Flood Action Week on Monday, which runs until Saturday, a year after the devastating effects of Storm Babet were felt across the country, as well as flooding from last weeks

The Environment Agency said around 5.5 million properties in England are at risk of flooding and urged people to use their online tool to check if their area is affected.

It comes after a report last week found planning permission has been granted for more than 7,000 homes in areas of England at the highest risk of flooding.

Caroline Douglass, chief executive of coastal and flood risk management at the Environment Agency, said: “Climate change means extreme weather events are happening more often and we’ve already seen an unusually wet September of this year

“We cannot always predict where the rain will fall or where floods will occur, but we do know which areas are at risk.

“That’s why it’s essential that we all do our part by checking our flood risk and registering for flood warnings this Flood Action Week.”

How to check if your house is at risk of flooding

Residents of England can use a free online service to check long-term flooding in their area.

They can go to www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk to do this and then enter their postcode.

The service allows them to know the long-term flood risk of an area, the possible causes of flooding, how to manage flood risk and whether the long-term flood risk comes from rivers and the sea, the surface water, reservoirs or underground water.

The tool will provide an annual chance of surface water flooding or flash flooding, which includes four categories from very low to low, medium and high.

The same discharge is also available due to the risk of river and sea flooding. For the risk of groundwater and reservoir flooding, the service will say whether this is likely or unlikely.

There are separate flood risk monitoring services for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

However, the services cannot say how likely an individual property is to flood or give details about the risk of flooding from sources such as blocked drains and burst pipes.

How to protect your home from flooding

The Environment Agency advised people to sign up for flood alerts, a free service where they can opt-in to receive up-to-date flood information by phone call, text or email.

He also says there are a number of changes people can make to their homes before a flood occurs to reduce damage.

These include tiling instead of carpeting; move electrical outlets higher up the walls; install check valves to prevent flood water from entering drains and use flood protection products such as flood gates or self-closing air bricks

He said homeowners should also make sure they know how to cut off gas, electricity and water supplies if they have to leave during a flood.

The water can be shut off at the water shutoff valve – or stopcock – which is usually located inside the house where the water supply enters.

The gas shut-off valve is located next to the gas meter and the mains switch is located on the fuse board.

The Met Office advises people to prepare a flood plan, which involves keeping a list of useful contact numbers, such as your council, insurance company and utility providers.

He also says people should have a flood kit, containing insurance documents, a torch, a first aid kit, any prescription medication and waterproof clothing and blankets for warmth.