Flash flooding this winter

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 see the ground is very saturated so further rainfall this winter could 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. We also carry out reactive clearing operations in response to reports (as pictured in Whiteshill above). Please familiarise yourself with the Flood Guide which offers lots of help and advice on preparing and dealing with flooding. 

Residents can help by removing leaves from blocked drains (if it’s safe to do so) and the leaves can be added to compost or garden waste bins. 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. Stay up to date with news on our social media channels – on Facebook and X (Twitter).