Flooding: who to contact, advice and managing risk

Flooding Advice - after a flood

Wait until you are sure the flooding period has ended before you start to clean and make repairs. Water levels may rise and fall for a short period after the rain has ended. 

The sewer network is mainly combined in Kensington and Chelsea, therefore flash flooding is likely to result in flooding from both rainwater and wastewater. Extreme care should therefore be taken when clearing up after a flood. For more information see Government advice.

 

  • Contact your insurer as soon as possible after a flood.
  • Call Streetline on 020 7361 3001 if you need any domestic items collecting which have been damaged as a result of flooding. Please make sure that you have claimed insurance before the items are collected by the Council. Once the items are collected and disposed of there will not be any provision to search and return the items.
  • Get your local electricity supply checked before switching it back on. (For businesses, assess the risk to your staff and customers and consider closing the business until it has been checked).
  • Don't use electrical equipment exposed to flood water until it has been checked by a qualified electrician.
  • Get professional advice (structural engineer) for repairs if your property is damaged
  • If anyone becomes ill after accidentally swallowing flood water or mud, contact a doctor and tell them about the flooding

For more information, see advice from the London Fire Brigade.

Recording flooding

Once flooding has cleared, please notify the Council that you have been flooded from any source (including groundwater, flash flooding or river flooding) so that the information can be used for any formal Flood Investigation. You can email [email protected] for more information.

If you have been flooded from sewers, you also need to fill in the Thames Water flooding questionnaire to record the incident.

Last updated: 20 February 2023