Internal flooding
Sewer flooding is distressing. We work hard to reduce the risk of sewer flooding – but prevention isn’t always possible. Find out what to do if a sewer has flooded your property.
Who to contact
- it's important to contact your insurer immediately to tell them about any damage the flooding has caused inside your property. If you don’t, it may affect any insurance claims you need to make
- call our 24-hour emergency number 0330 303 0368
- let us know if any nearby properties have been affected, so we can help them too
What we'll do
- when possible, we’ll contact you within an hour to let you know when we'll arrive (in storms and flooding we may take longer to reach you)
- we’ll call to let you know we’re on our way and may also send updates by text – so please make sure you provide us with your mobile number
- when we see you, we’ll give you help and advice on what to do next
- we'll also ask questions about the flooding to help us understand the cause
- we’ll check our sewers and do what we can, as soon as we can, to address the cause
- we'll carry out a basic clean-up of your property, where possible
- we’ll also be in touch with you, to ask questions about the flooding to help us understand the cause
What you can do
- keep children and pets away from the flooded areas
- if it's safe to do so, take photos of the flooded area
- pictures will help us work out why flooding has happened, and may help determine whether you’re entitled to a payment under our Guaranteed Standards of Service.
Help to stop this happening again
Sewers sometimes flood during or after heavy rain if they can't cope with the amount of water.
But often, flooding happens because of how we use our sewers and what we put down them. You can help avoid flooding – don't flush items such as:
- wet wipes
- nappies
- sanitary towels
- cotton buds
- tampons and applicators
- condoms
- kitchen roll
Fat, oil and grease can also cause blockages if they’re poured down plugholes because they harden when they cool down.
Guaranteed standards of service payment
If your premises are internally flooded due to a failure of our drainage system, we’ll automatically make a payment to you of an amount equivalent to your annual wastewater charge, from a minimum of £150 to a maximum of £1,000 for each incident
These payments are not compensation or an admission of liability.
In all cases, payments will not apply if:
- the flooding happened because of exceptional weather conditions or industrial action
- the flooding was caused by your action or any defect, blockage or inadequacy of private sewers, council or highway drains
- you notified us more than three months after your property was flooded.
Follow the link for a list of all exceptions and further information:
