Managing the risk of flooding – flood incidents and investigations
In its role as Lead Local Flood Authority, the Council has a duty to investigate significant local flooding incidents and publish the results of such investigations.
The Council will carry out a Flood Investigation where one or more of the following criteria are met:
- Danger to life, or loss of life, associated with a flood incident.
- Five of more residential properties internally flooded within a single flood incident.
- Five or more commercial properties internally flooded within a single flood incident.
- Critical infrastructure is affected resulting in a loss of or disruption to a service for more than 10 hours.
- Internal flooding of a habitable area of a single property (residential or commercial) on two or more separate occasions within an 18-month period.
Light-touch desktop investigations may be carried out for flood incidents that do not meet these criteria. The decision to investigate will be taken on a case-by-case basis.
Since the Council was given this duty, one flood event has met the criteria to require investigation.