Flash flooding this winter

There was an extraordinary amount of rainfall in September. Gloucestershire received more than 3 times the usual levels of rainfall and our highways teams experienced more than 3 times the number of out-of-hours callouts. 

Our proactive approach to drain clearing means that most flash flooding on roads drains away quickly. We can clearly see the ground is already very saturated and the water table level is very high, so further rainfall this winter is very likely to cause flash flooding in areas we wouldn’t usually expect to see it. 

Every year we clear more than 130,000 drains across the county. Each drain is cleared at least once and some more often. Just last week we cleared more than 1000 drains in routine clearing operations. We also carry out reactive clearing operations in response to reports.      

To prepare for a particularly wet winter please familiarise yourself with the Flood Guide on our website which offers lots of help and advice on preparing and dealing with flooding.  

Residents can help to remove autumn leaves from blocked drains (if it is safe to do so) and add the leaves to compost or a garden waste bin. Otherwise, blocked drains can be reported online with Fix My Street.  

We can all help when flash flooding occurs by keeping informed of road closures, not driving through flooded roads or moving signage which is there to protect road users and staying up to date with news on our social media channels – on Facebook and X (Twitter).