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My property is flooded

We know this can be a stressful time and we want to help in any way we can. Get advice and guidance on what to do next if your home or garden is flooded.

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What has happened?

Use the dropdown menu below to get advice and guidance on what to do next if your home or garden is flooded.

We understand how distressing it is to be affected by flooding and we’ll always do our best to get to you as quickly as possible.

What could have caused this?

Sewers can flood during or after heavy rain if they are overwhelmed by the amount of water passing through them.

However, more than 80% of flooding incidents happen because of blockages caused by unflushable items and a build-up of fats, oils, and grease.

Call our 24-hour emergency number

If your home is flooded with sewer water, call us straightaway on our 24-hour emergency number: 0330 303 0368. Please let us know if any nearby properties are also affected so we can help them too.

Guaranteed Standards of Service payment

If you experience flooding inside your property because of a failure of our systems, we’ll automatically make a payment to you of an amount equivalent to your annual wastewater charge. This will be from a minimum of £150 to a maximum of £1,000 for each incident. These payments are not compensation or an admission of liability.

What will happen following your claim:

1. We’ll write to you within 20 working days of the incident. The letter will include the following information:

    • More about the payment.
    • What steps we have to take as a direct result of the incident.
    • Any investigations we need to carry out.

2. We’ll send you a cheque or credit your account within 20 working days of the flooding incident. 

3. If we’re late with the payment, you’ll get an extra £20 as a credit to your account.

We may not make these payments if any of the following situations apply:

  • the flooding was caused by your actions
  • the flooding was caused by exceptional rainfall
  • our investigation confirms that the flooding was caused by a third-party issue, such as surface water running off land, a flooded river, a problem with a private or highway drain.

Conditions may apply.

 

What could have caused this?

Your house may be flooded due to a burst pipe or water main, or it could be a leak from another source. We know how distressing it can be to experience flooding, so here’s how we can help to get it sorted as soon as possible.

Call our 24-hour emergency number

If your property is flooded, please call us straightaway on our 24-hour emergency number: 0330 303 0368.

 

Insurance claims

We have strict liability for freshwater flooding. That means we’ll pay the cost of replacing damaged property or lost items.

You'll need to make claims for damage or loss to your own insurers as they will settle claims on a new for old basis. They’ll tell you what you need to do to meet the terms and conditions of your policy and recover anything they’ve paid out from us.

We'll also pay any insurance excess you’ve had to pay.

If you’re not insured, then we’ll deal directly with you. We’ll settle claims based on an item’s current age and value, including wear and tear, rather than on a ‘new for old’ basis.

We understand how distressing flooding can be around your home and we'll always do our best to get to you as soon as possible.

What could have caused this?

During periods of heavy rain, the amount of water passing through the sewers can overwhelm them and lead to flooding.

However, most flooding incidents are caused by blockages of unflushable items and a build-up of fats, oils, and grease in pipes.

Call our 24-hour emergency number

If your garden is flooded with sewer water, please call our 24-hour emergency number: 0330 303 0368. Please let us know if any nearby properties are affected so we can help them too. During severe weather, it may take a little longer to get to you and we may need to prioritise internal or more severe flooding incidents.

Guaranteed standards of service payment 

If you've experienced external flooding caused by a failure of our systems, you may claim an amount equivalent to half your annual sewerage charges, from a minimum of £75 to a maximum of £500.

To claim, you’ll need to apply within three months of the incident. The first step is to fill in our External Flooding claim form or get in touch. 

These payments are not compensation or an admission of liability.

We may not make these payments if any of the following situations apply:

  • The flooding was caused by your actions.
  • The flooding was caused by exceptional rainfall.
  • Our investigation confirms that the flooding was caused by a third-party issue, such as surface water running off land, a flooded river, a problem with a private or highway drain.

Conditions may apply.

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