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
- 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).
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).
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.
There’s lot of useful information about how to protect your property on The Flood Hub website too.
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
We don’t recommend sandbags and cannot provide these to individual residents. We do recommend other easier to use Flood Defence Products for example water activated flood barriers, which can be bought online fairly easily.
Find out more about protecting your property on the National Flood Forum.
If you do want sandbags, these can usually be obtained from local builders’ merchants or online, filled or empty, and you can store your own sand to fill when needed.
Preparing for flooding
This video featuring Mary Dhonau OBE which explains how how to reduce the impact of a flood using things you may have around your home. Read more about your responsibilities regarding flooding.
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)