What to do in a flood
This explains who to contact when there is flooding:
- danger to life: if the flood is posing a danger to life or injury, contact The Fire and Rescue Service on 999
- floods caused by rivers/reservoirs: if a flood is caused by a main river or reservoir, contact The Environment Agency (0800 80 70 60 - lines are open 24 hours a day)
- flooding caused by sewers, water mains or water drains: if the flood is caused by a sewer, a leak from a water main, or a household storm water drain contact your water company:
- Anglian Water (0345 7145 145)
- Thames Water (0800 316 9800) - their step-by-step guide tells you what to do when a sewer floods
- Affinity Water (0345 357 2407)
- roads flooded: we (Central Bedfordshire Council) are responsible for flooding caused by a blockage in the roadside drainage. Report this online or call us on 0300 300 8049
- flooding caused by an ordinary watercourse like a ditch, surface water or groundwater: email floodrisk@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk (this is not a 24 hour emergency contact email address). If you know you are in the Internal Drainage Board (IDB) area (link takes you to view the map of our area) you can call 01234 767995 or email contact@idbs.org.uk
Contact about situations which may lead to flooding
You can contact us about a situation which you think will lead to flooding by emailing floodrisk@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk (this is not a 24 hour emergency contact email address). If you know you are in the Internal Drainage Board (IDB) area (link takes you to view the map of our area) you can call 01234 767995 or email contact@idbs.org.uk.
Protecting your property from flooding in an emergency
Our flood guide (PDF 899.2KB) 
offers advice on protecting your property and who to contact about flooding.
You can also find out what to do before and after a flood from the Environment Agency.
What to do before, or when warned of flooding:
- deploy flood defences (e.g. sandbags, door barriers) if you have any
- move vehicles to a safe area
- turn off the power (unless you have a pumped flood system)
- close windows and doors if it is safe to do so
- retreat to a safe place (such as the upper level of a building or a friend's house) and lock doors
- move pets, items of value and your grab bag upstairs or raise off the floor
- keep phones, chargers, bank cards, insurance details and house keys to hand
- ensure neighbours know a flood is predicated/happening and help if possible
Sandbags and flood prevention products
How to use sandbags for flood defence (GOV.UK). If you have other flood defence products, please follow the manufacturer's instructions.
We (Central Bedfordshire Council) don't supply sandbags, but they can usually be obtained from local builders’ merchants, filled or empty, and you can store your own sand to fill when needed. A search online will show a number of suppliers of sandbags and other flood prevention products which may be more suitable.
Repairing your property after flooding
Download property owner flood damage repair guidance (PDF 64KB)
Download insurer and contractor flood damage repair guidance (PDF 75.2KB)