Flood warnings and planning

• if you own land adjoining, above or with a watercourse running through it, you have certain rights and responsibilities – in legal terms you are a ‘riparian owner’
• if you rent the land – you should agree with the owner who will manage these rights and responsibilities
• the Environment agency has a plan to help you understand your responsibilities

All rivers are the responsibility of landowners known as ‘riparian owners’.

Main rivers

• main rivers are mapped and registered by the Environment Agency
• the Environment Agency undertakes some maintenance work in high-risk areas
• if you notice a blockage or tree on a main river which is causing risk of flooding – call the Environment Agency hotline on 0800 80 70 60
• the River Lea puts Hackney at risk of fluvial flooding – it is a ‘Main River’, so it falls under the responsibility of the Environment Agency
• to find out if you are at risk of flooding from the River Lea see the Environment Agency’s information on flooding –  alternatively call Floodline on 0345 988 1188
• permits are also required from the Environment Agency for structures along main rivers –
  there are also structures and screens that are managed and cleared on rivers on a more regular basis in periods of adverse weather. This could be the Environment Agency, local authority or other organisation or private landowner. The significant structures will be highlighted in the Flood Asset Register

Ordinary Watercourses

Roadside ditches normally belong to the adjoining landowner and not the highway authority, except where land has been acquired for new road building.

• consent is required from the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) to undertake some works on an ordinary watercourse. If a landowner wishes to pipe, alter a pipe, or dam an ordinary watercourse, they should apply for consent from the LLFA by contacting floodsandsuds@hackney.gov.uk
• where there is local authority owned land, we have a programme for clearance and maintenance. Where they are piped or culverted, this does not change the responsibility. Contact floodsandsuds@hackney.gov.uk to find out more

Surface water or flash flooding occurs when heavy rainfall exceeds the capacity of the ground and local drainage networks to absorb it. It can lead to water flowing over the ground and pooling in low-lying areas. It is typically caused by short, intense rainfall. This is identified as the biggest risk in London.

You will see this as water ponding on roads. Most roads have roadside gully pots at the side of the road which captures the water, this then flows into Thames Water sewers in most cases or soakways. The local authority highways teams are responsible for clearing gullies and managing these soakaways.

After heavy rain, it is expected to see some water in the road or on open land, despite work undertaken to prevent this. It may be because other parts of the drainage system are at full capacity and it will slowly recede.

If water is still present after a few hours and you believe the issue is being caused by a blocked or damaged roadside gully, or if you wish to report another non-emergency drainage issue, contact the local authority Highways team on 020 8356 2897 or email: Highway.Inspectors@hackney.gov.uk or reportaproblem.hackney.gov.uk.

There are gullies or drainage systems that are present in private estates or roads which are the responsibility of the landowner or private management company, usually shared ownership between residents. Significant structures and their owners where the information is provided by the 3rd party may be identified in the Flood Asset Register produced by the local authority.

Where significant flooding has resulted in a property flooding the local authority will need to include this in their Flood Investigations report this after the event to reportaproblem.hackney.gov.uk.

Unfortunately, even with supply pipes there can be leaks and occasionally more serious pipe bursts.

For advice in these situations visit your water supplier website.

In many cases across London, Thames Water is your supplier and provides the following advice on frozen or burst pipes and ask that you please let them know about all burst pipes in the road. Alternatively call their Leakline on 0800 714 614.

Thames Water is responsible for burst water mains which occur:

• outside
• or on the public highway

It’s the homeowner’s responsibility to contact a plumber if the burst pipe occurs inside their property:

• what to do if your property is flooded

This can be caused by a failure or breach in a reservoir. Although it is very rare, it can happen with little or no warning and you may need to evacuate immediately.

If you live near a reservoir, you should know what to do in case of an emergency.

• a reservoir is, most commonly, an enlarged natural or artificial lake, pond or impoundment created using a dam or lock to store water – there are a number of these that may be managed by different companies and landowners
• contact details of the responsible body will be displayed at each reservoir(who will have an onsite reservoir plan) however in an emergency please call 999

There are two reservoirs located within The London Borough of Hackney:

• Stoke Newington East (commonly referred to as Woodberry Wetlands)
• Stoke Newington West

Additional reservoir flood risk comes from the King George Reservoir in Enfield.

You can find out the extent of your flood risk on GOV.UK.

Emergency plans are kept on-site at all reservoir facilities to prevent flooding from occurring. In the event of a breach the London Borough of Hackney, the Emergency Services, and other partners, maintain a Multi Agency Flood Plan, to deal with such incidents and ensure there is a coordinated response.

• areas that could be affected by groundwater flooding can be found in Appendix D of the Surface Water Management plan
• groundwater flooding occurs because of the underground water table rising, which can result in water emerging through the ground and causing flooding in extreme circumstances – this source of flooding tends to occur after extensive periods of heavy rainfall
• floods tend to be long in duration, developing over weeks or months and prevailing for days or weeks

If you are affected by groundwater flooding see what to do if your property is flooded for information.

• the Canal and River Trust is responsible for the canals
• for emergencies – call the 24-hour number on 0800 47 999 47
• for non-emergency related matters – call them on 0303 040 4040

The New River is maintained by Thames Water. If you see a problem report it on the Thames Water website, or call them on 0800 316 9800.

Sewers are the responsibility of Thames Water.

Sewer flooding can occur due to:

• sewer blockage or collapse
•  an increased flow and volume of water entering a sewer system which overwhelms its capacity – causing water not to be able to enter or to be pushed out
• where sewer outfall points are either blocked or submerged due to high water levels, water can back up in a sewer system and cause flooding

If you think there is a blockage:

• in the sewer, use the Thames Water blockage tool to report it
• if the flooding is coming from inside your property (i.e.. out of your sinks, toilets, or showers) then visit Thames Water or call them on 0800 316 9800

Complete their sewer flooding questionnaire as this is the only way they prioritise any longer term work which may be required.

Sewer flooding can often be seen as surface water flooding and so it may not be clear where it originates from and so should also be reported to us on reportaproblem.hackney.gov.uk.

If you are uncertain if any blockage is in the public or private sewers, Thames Water should be able to determine this, once on site. They will recharge you the cost of any work on the private sewers.

Before using flood resilience equipment:

• read GOV.UK’s advice on improving your property’s flood protection
• consider installing flood protection measures on your property – You can buy flood protection products and find service providers on The National Flood Forum Blue Pages Directory. This can include simple air brick covers which can be left on, flood doors and or barriers
• get advice from a flood specialist and be ready with a supply of temporary flood barriers, check the National flood Forums advice on flood prevention equipment and surveyors
• get information and an online estimate on how to protect your property using the National Flood Forum’s Property Protection Advisor, funded by DEFRA
• you may need to contact your landlord if you don’t own the property to install property resilience.
• ensure you understand and learn how to use flood prevention equipment
• move valuables upstairs or to another safe place above the flood line

Due to the nature of the flood risk in Hackney, the council does not provide flood protection measures for individual households, instead focuses resources, where notice allows, on protecting infrastructure.

The responsibility to protect homes and businesses from flooding, including using the deployment of sandbags and flood defences, lies with the property owner.

Flooding can happen at very short notice and you need to be able to take action swiftly to protect your property.

If you have been flooded and made use of any sandbags or flood sacks contact Waste Operations on 020 8356 6688 or email them at: wasteoperations@hackney.gov.uk for information on where to leave them for collection.

In the event of widespread floods the Waste Operations Team will be involved in clearing the area and you will be informed of a location to leave any sandbags or flood sacks for collection.

If you would like more information on what to do if your property is flooded see our help page.

The Asset register is an online record of assets in the borough.

The register contains information about the location, condition and ownership (where available) of each asset.

The register does not show you where there is a risk of flooding, but you can use the register to see what assets are in your local area. 

London Borough of Hackney holds a flood asset register within the borough. This is shown on our map below.

Although flooding is a natural event, it can be life-threatening and cause severe damage to property.

The risk can’t be removed but can be reduced through good planning and management in order to create safe and sustainable future development.

As the Local Planning Authority we are responsible for assessing flood risk.

You can read the latest Strategic Flood Risk Assessment online.

Sustainable drainage aims to mimic natural processes. Examples of sustainable drainage are:

• ponds
• green roofs
• soakaways
• swales
• rain gardens

Sustainable drainage puts as much water as possible back into the ground to:

• help maintain healthy aquifers
• decrease the risk of flooding and drought
• improve water quality

Sustainable Drainage is a material planning consideration for all major applications.

The Lead Local Flood Authority is consulted on all major planning applications since 15 April 2015.

Refer to sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) for more information on the planning requirements for SuDS and the completion of the SuDS proforma.

As Lead Local Flood Authority we are responsible for consenting and enforcing ordinary watercourses.

If you are undertaking work that will affect the flow of water through an ordinary watercourse or culvert, you need consent from us before work can begin.

A watercourse is defined in the Land Drainage Act 1991 as ‘all rivers and streams, all ditches, drains, cuts, culverts, dikes, sluices, sewers (other than public sewers within the meaning of the Water Industry Act 1991) and passages, through which water flows’.

An ordinary watercourse is a watercourse that has not been designated as a main river on the Environment agency’s flood risk map.

If you do not get consent from us and your work affects an ordinary watercourse we have the power to take remedial action. This includes the power to complete the works and reclaim the associated costs from you (see section 23 of the Land Drainage Act 1991).

The Hackney Local Flood Risk Management Strategy has identified that there are no ordinary watercourses managed by the council within the Borough.

However, for more information, contact floodsandsuds@hackney.gov.uk.

As the Lead Local Flood Authority we have powers to designate structures or features with a significant impact on flood risk.

We do this to protect structures or features that play a role in reducing flood risk.

If we have designated something it usually means that a number of properties would be at a greater risk of flooding if that structure or feature was removed.

The Environment Agency also has powers to designate structures you can find out more on this at flood and sea defences: designated assets on your land – GOV.UK.

A record of the designation will be put onto the Local Land Charges so that subsequent land owners will be made aware of the designation.

Once we have designated a feature, the owner must seek consent from us to alter, remove, or replace it.

If you make a change to a designated feature without our consent, we may issue an enforcement notice which will set out the steps that must be taken to restore the feature.

You may appeal against a designation notice, refusal of consent, conditions placed on a consent or an enforcement notice.

Contact us to find out the structures that have been designated and discuss consent to alter a feature or structure that has been designated.

Contact floodsandssuds@hackney.gov.uk for more information.