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Sandbag Policy

The Council recognises that the primary responsibility for protecting property from the risk of flooding rests with the property owner. It is also aware of the considerable efforts put in by the Environment Agency to notify property owners in flood risk areas of the risks they face and encourage them to plan their own arrangements to protect themselves and their properties.

The Council supports this approach and urges those living within areas identified as being at risk from flooding to follow the advice of the Environment Agency. The Council is concerned that, in the event of the threat of flooding to a large number of properties in the District, it may not have the resources to protect every property and that priorities will have to be made. This could inevitably lead to some flooding to properties that, with some pre planned preventative measures by the occupant, could have been avoided or minimised.

However, as a responsible authority, the Council recognises that the level of individual preparedness will vary enormously and it is prudent to plan for some additional support to the local community. With this in mind the Council has developed the following policy :

In the event of deteriorating weather or tidal conditions leading to the issue of severe weather warnings or riparian or tidal flooding alerts that could potentially affect any part of the Dover District Council administrative area, officers from the Resources Directorate will monitor the threat.

Risk assessments will be undertaken and regularly updated. These assessments could be wide area or site specific. They could include information obtained from site visits by Council Officers or other Professional Partners.

In the event of the Council's risk assessment for a defined area identifying the use of sandbags to be appropriate to minimise or mitigate the risk of flooding to residential, utility or commercial properties the Council may set up local sandbag collection centres.

The allocation of sandbags to individuals will depend upon a number of factors including the total number of sandbags available, an assessment of the viability of protecting the particular property with sandbags, demands from other emergency flood defence measures involving the use of sandbags that would protect a greater number of properties. The need to protect infrastructure assets e.g. Roads, Energy Distribution Sites, Communication Network Sites, Hospitals and the Council's own Public Buildings etc. are also likely to make demands on the Council's limited resources.

Occupants of properties where protection from the risk of flooding using sandbags is assessed as viable but lack the physical ability to do so e.g. elderly or infirm may, subject to availability of manpower and the assessed priorities at the time, be provided with assistance from the Council.

It must be emphasised that residents of Dover District who live in identified flood risk areas should not rely upon the Council to respond to a threat of flooding to their property but should have in place their own flood protection plan.

The provision of sandbags and assistance by the Council under this policy will be free of charge.

Revised 23 February 2005

Contact Customer Services

Telephone: 01304 821199

Email customerservices@dover.gov.uk