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What we are responsible for
Who we work with to manage and investigate floods. Our long-term plans for local flood risk management.
We are responsible for managing:
- groundwater flooding when water levels in the ground rise above surface levels
- flash flooding when heavy rainfall overwhelms the drains or a pumping station fails
- river flooding when a watercourse cannot cope with the water draining into it
We work closely with the Environment Agency and Thames Water to provide a joined-up approach. We also have a duty to investigate flooding. We’ll usually do this when:
- a property floods more than once
- 5 or more properties flood during a single incident
- important services flood
- we’re not sure what’s caused a flood
Always report a flood so we can:
- keep accurate records
- identify areas most at risk
- prioritise our action
Flooding strategy
We must produce a strategy for local flood risk management. It describes:
- how we manage floods in Southwark including ordinary watercourses, groundwater and surface water
- our priorities for managing local flood risk
- our a delivery plan to manage the risk
Read the local flood risk management strategy (LFRMS):