Flood Risks
Local Flooding
On 12th July 2021 a number of properties in the South Hampstead area were flooded. There was also flooding locally in 2002 and 1975.
There was widespread flooding across London on 12th July, in what Thames Water describe as a ‘one in 179 year’ event.
Hopefully this area will not be flooded again, but, with more extreme rainstorms predicted, people living in basement flats, or people with cellars, might wish to take precautions.
Following the flooding, with CRASH’s support, the South Hampstead Flood Action Group (SHFAG) was set up.
The group has been working with our local MP, Tulip Siddiq, Thames Water, Camden Council and the National Flood Forum to understand why the local flooding occurred, and to find effective ways to prevent it happening again.
Responsibility for Preventing Flooding
Preventing sewer flooding is the responsibility of Thames Water, and preventing surface water flooding is the responsibility of Camden Council.
The council is also required to produce and implement a Flood Risk Management Strategy and a Surface Water Management Plan.
Advice on Flood Protection
Supported by Camden Council, SHFAG asked Warwick York, an independent flood protection specialist, to make general recommendations as to how local property owners might protect themselves from future floods.
Warwick York conducted flood protection assessments on eight properties in the area. They used these to indicate the sort of things local property owners could do to protect themselves and their tenants from future floods.
The guides they produced provide a rough idea of what flood protection measures are available, and their costs.
However every property is different, and there are lots of cowboys in the flood protection field. Owners are recommended to seek individual advice from an independent flood protection specialist.
A list of these specialists is on the National Flood Forum’s Blue Pages website: bluepages.org.uk
Please note SHFAG and CRASH cannot be held responsible for Warwick York’s advice.
Link to Documents
If You Were Flooded
SHFAG urges all flooded property owners or their tenants to fill in a Thames Water Sewer Questionnaire.
The more people who report they were flooded, the more likely it is Thames will be prepared to invest in significant action to prevent future flooding in this area.
Thames say the information owners give them will not be shared with other organisations including insurers.
You can fill in the questionnaire:
Once you have filled in their questionnaire, Thames will arrange for a surveyor to visit your property and assess whether a ‘FLIP’ device or non-return valve should be fitted to protect it from future sewer flooding.
If Thames fit a FLIP or non-return device to your property it will not prevent it from being flooded by surface water. To protect your property against this you will also need to install other measures, such as automatically closing air bricks, flood doors, flood gates, and painting your brickwork with waterproof paint.
What SHFAG Has Been Doing
SHFAG’s activities include:
Contact SHFAG on: floodactionsouthhampstead@gmail.com
The National Flood Forum
SHFAG has affiliated to the National Flood Forum (NFF) and will be working with them to develop a Community Flood Plan over the next 12 months.
NFF provide advice and support on flooding:
What All Residents Can Do to Help
Reports and Plans About Flooding
Thames Water’s London Flood Review Reports
The South Hampstead area is mentioned on page 39 of the ‘Stage 2 Report Final’. It is part of Camden’s ‘Hotspot 1’.
The Stage 4 report is the final report and makes recommendations as to how the London wide flooding might be tackled.
Thames Water is currently considering how these recommendations might be applied to our area.
https://londonfloodreview.co.uk
Camden Council’s Flood Investigation Report
This area comes under ‘Hampstead Kilburn’ in the report, starting on page 68.
Several recommendations are made about actions Camden Council and others can take to reduce the risk of more future flooding.
The council will look at these recommended actions as part of producing a new Flood Risk Management Strategy in autumn 2022. They will consult local residents as part of preparing this.
https://www.camden.gov.uk/documents/20142/0/July+2021+Flood+Investigation+-+London+Borough+of+Camden+-+FINAL.pdf/ea22f061-4c05-a590-6240-02955630c2ef?t=1657007121150
Camden Council Flooding Information
These webpages contain advice on flooding, and documents such as the council’s Surface Water Management Plan 2013 and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment 2014.
https://www.camden.gov.uk/flooding#wxbh
Thames Water’s Drainage and Waste Water Draft Plan
This draft 25 year plan is currently out for consultation. Comments are invited by 19th September 2022.
This area is in Zone 4 which is not one of the plan’s current priority areas.
South and West Hampstead is mentioned on page 10 as a case study of partnership working.
https://www.thameswater.co.uk/media-library/home/about-us/regulation/drainage-and-wastewater/beckton-catchment-strategic-plan.pdf
GLA Advice on Flooding
The GLA has also produced advice on flooding. The link below is for the flash flooding awareness leaflet that will / has been sent to basements properties:
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/flood_aware_2022_leaflet_4pp_lowres_fa.pdf
The GLA also has a range of other advice on its webpage about flash flooding:
https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/flash-flooding
Disclaimer
SHFAG has written these webpages to share information on flooding to the best of our knowledge.
Rather than relying on these webpages property owners should seek individual advice from independent flood protection specialists.
Please note that all experts agree that whatever flood protection measures you install, there is no 100% guarantee they can fully safeguard your property from flooding.
CRASH supports SHFAG but does not claim to have evaluated and verified the advice and information contained in this section. CRASH accepts no responsibility for the contents of this section.
July 2022
On 12th July 2021 a number of properties in the South Hampstead area were flooded. There was also flooding locally in 2002 and 1975.
There was widespread flooding across London on 12th July, in what Thames Water describe as a ‘one in 179 year’ event.
Hopefully this area will not be flooded again, but, with more extreme rainstorms predicted, people living in basement flats, or people with cellars, might wish to take precautions.
Following the flooding, with CRASH’s support, the South Hampstead Flood Action Group (SHFAG) was set up.
The group has been working with our local MP, Tulip Siddiq, Thames Water, Camden Council and the National Flood Forum to understand why the local flooding occurred, and to find effective ways to prevent it happening again.
Responsibility for Preventing Flooding
Preventing sewer flooding is the responsibility of Thames Water, and preventing surface water flooding is the responsibility of Camden Council.
The council is also required to produce and implement a Flood Risk Management Strategy and a Surface Water Management Plan.
Advice on Flood Protection
Supported by Camden Council, SHFAG asked Warwick York, an independent flood protection specialist, to make general recommendations as to how local property owners might protect themselves from future floods.
Warwick York conducted flood protection assessments on eight properties in the area. They used these to indicate the sort of things local property owners could do to protect themselves and their tenants from future floods.
The guides they produced provide a rough idea of what flood protection measures are available, and their costs.
However every property is different, and there are lots of cowboys in the flood protection field. Owners are recommended to seek individual advice from an independent flood protection specialist.
A list of these specialists is on the National Flood Forum’s Blue Pages website: bluepages.org.uk
Please note SHFAG and CRASH cannot be held responsible for Warwick York’s advice.
Link to Documents
- South Hampstead Flood Action Group -- Report on South Hampstead Flood Mitigation Advice and other property level protection measures following the floods of July 2021 -- by Warwick York Chartered Surveyors and Flood Consultants
- Flood Protection Guide -- by Warwick York Chartered Surveyors and Flood Consultants.
If You Were Flooded
SHFAG urges all flooded property owners or their tenants to fill in a Thames Water Sewer Questionnaire.
The more people who report they were flooded, the more likely it is Thames will be prepared to invest in significant action to prevent future flooding in this area.
Thames say the information owners give them will not be shared with other organisations including insurers.
You can fill in the questionnaire:
- Online: tinyurl.com/f6k8br7c; or
- By printing a copy to fill in by hand by googling: “Thames Water Flooding Questionnaire”.
Once you have filled in their questionnaire, Thames will arrange for a surveyor to visit your property and assess whether a ‘FLIP’ device or non-return valve should be fitted to protect it from future sewer flooding.
If Thames fit a FLIP or non-return device to your property it will not prevent it from being flooded by surface water. To protect your property against this you will also need to install other measures, such as automatically closing air bricks, flood doors, flood gates, and painting your brickwork with waterproof paint.
What SHFAG Has Been Doing
SHFAG’s activities include:
- Finding out how many local properties were flooded
- Encouraging property owners to fill in Thames Water’s sewer flooding questionnaire
- Providing information for Thames Water’s London Flood Review and Camden Council’s flood investigation, as well as commenting on their recommendations
- Urging Thames Water and Camden Council to install effective new measures to reduce the risk of flooding locally, including enlarging the drains, installing SUDS (sustainable urban drainage schemes), and making changes to the roadways
- Pressing Camden Council to get local developers to install additional flood protection measures in the main local development sites, the O2 and Abbey Cross sites
- Raising issues with Tulip Siddiq, e.g. about flooding insurance
- Reporting blocked gullies, both in the local area and in the Hampstead streets leading down to it
- Producing general guidance on flood protection measures owners can take
- Starting to develop a Community Flood Plan with the National Flood Forum
Contact SHFAG on: floodactionsouthhampstead@gmail.com
The National Flood Forum
SHFAG has affiliated to the National Flood Forum (NFF) and will be working with them to develop a Community Flood Plan over the next 12 months.
NFF provide advice and support on flooding:
- See their website: https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk
- And their Blue Pages website for flood prevention products: bluepages.org.uk
- Ring their helpline on 01299 403 05 or email them: info@floodforum.org.uk
What All Residents Can Do to Help
- Don’t pave over your front garden. If you have done this already ensure there is effective drainage.
- Keep an eye on local gullies and report them if they are blocked on camden.gov.uk/report-street-issue
- Don’t put anything except toilet paper into your loo. (Not wet wipes, sanitary products, cotton wool, dental floss, condoms etc … even if they claim to be ‘flushable’. If they have a ‘fine to flush’ mark then it’s ok.)
- Don’t put oils, gravy and food etc down your drains. 60% of sewer flooding in homes is caused by blockages. See Thames Water website for advice on how to dispose of these: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/responsibility/bin-it
- Sign up for Met Office weather warning: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2022-07-24
- If heavy rain is predicted ensure the pavement, roadway and gullies near you are clear. Don’t put your rubbish bins and garden waste out. Get the council to remove any nearby flytips, leaves or litter using the ‘Love Clean Streets’ app. Or, if time is short clear them yourself if you can.
Reports and Plans About Flooding
Thames Water’s London Flood Review Reports
The South Hampstead area is mentioned on page 39 of the ‘Stage 2 Report Final’. It is part of Camden’s ‘Hotspot 1’.
The Stage 4 report is the final report and makes recommendations as to how the London wide flooding might be tackled.
Thames Water is currently considering how these recommendations might be applied to our area.
https://londonfloodreview.co.uk
Camden Council’s Flood Investigation Report
This area comes under ‘Hampstead Kilburn’ in the report, starting on page 68.
Several recommendations are made about actions Camden Council and others can take to reduce the risk of more future flooding.
The council will look at these recommended actions as part of producing a new Flood Risk Management Strategy in autumn 2022. They will consult local residents as part of preparing this.
https://www.camden.gov.uk/documents/20142/0/July+2021+Flood+Investigation+-+London+Borough+of+Camden+-+FINAL.pdf/ea22f061-4c05-a590-6240-02955630c2ef?t=1657007121150
Camden Council Flooding Information
These webpages contain advice on flooding, and documents such as the council’s Surface Water Management Plan 2013 and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment 2014.
https://www.camden.gov.uk/flooding#wxbh
Thames Water’s Drainage and Waste Water Draft Plan
This draft 25 year plan is currently out for consultation. Comments are invited by 19th September 2022.
This area is in Zone 4 which is not one of the plan’s current priority areas.
South and West Hampstead is mentioned on page 10 as a case study of partnership working.
https://www.thameswater.co.uk/media-library/home/about-us/regulation/drainage-and-wastewater/beckton-catchment-strategic-plan.pdf
GLA Advice on Flooding
The GLA has also produced advice on flooding. The link below is for the flash flooding awareness leaflet that will / has been sent to basements properties:
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/flood_aware_2022_leaflet_4pp_lowres_fa.pdf
The GLA also has a range of other advice on its webpage about flash flooding:
https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/flash-flooding
Disclaimer
SHFAG has written these webpages to share information on flooding to the best of our knowledge.
Rather than relying on these webpages property owners should seek individual advice from independent flood protection specialists.
Please note that all experts agree that whatever flood protection measures you install, there is no 100% guarantee they can fully safeguard your property from flooding.
CRASH supports SHFAG but does not claim to have evaluated and verified the advice and information contained in this section. CRASH accepts no responsibility for the contents of this section.
July 2022
| gullies_south_hampstead.pdf |
