Taking precautions against flooding

Areas at risk of flooding

The Thames and its tributaries are at most risk of flooding during heavy rain and at high tide. Areas most likely to be affected in the borough are New Cross, Deptford, central Lewisham, and low-lying areas around the A21.

While the Thames Barrier is designed to help prevent flooding due to high tides, we have also made substantial landscaping improvements to reduce the risk of flooding by increasing the capacity of the borough’s waterways and rivers.

Find out if your area is at risk of flooding using the Environment Agency’s flood map.

Preparations and precautions you can take

• sign up online to the Environment Agency’s free alert system Floodline Warnings Direct or by calling 0845 988 1188 – you can select to receive warnings by phone, text, email, fax or pager

• know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies

• check your buildings and contents insurance policies to see what cover they provide for flood damage

• make a plan for how to deal with a flood should it happen – think about what you would want to move to safety

• keep flood waters out by buying sandbags and covers for air bricks and other vents. It is not our responsibility to provide you with sandbags, but they are available from builders' merchants.

• buy flood-proof products; a comprehensive list of these can be found in The Blue Pages directory on the National Flood Forum’s website.

More advice can be found in the Environment Agency’s guide to Protecting your Property from Flooding (pdf 2.4MB).

Find out more about flooding on the Environment Agency's website.

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