Flooding and land drainage - Purbeck District Council
The District Council administers some functions under the Land Drainage Act. The Act only gives the council a power and not a duty.
In other words the council can choose whether it wishes to pursue or take action on any matter.
The council's powers only relate to ordinary watercourses. These are streams, ditches and any piped or culverted watercourses, other than main river.
Main rivers within the district
River Frome
River Piddle
River Sherford (up to the bridge at the Bakers Arms roundabout)
Swan Brook
Ulwell Stream
River Win
Byle Brook
Corfe River
Bere Stream
The responsibility for these rests with the
Environment Agency (opens in a new window) 
.
Most watercourses are in private ownership and the council can use its powers to require owners to undertake clearance work.
The council provides information and advice to householders regarding flooding and water problems and has powers to implement schemes to alleviate flooding problems.
The council maintains a record of flooding events and it is proposed to use this to develop a flood defence strategy to look at the need for flood alleviation schemes and their priority across the whole of the district. The scheme the council most recently carried out was the Swanage Flood Alleviation Scheme which protects the centre of Swanage, which cost in the region of £5 million.
Sandbags
In emergency situations where individual properties may be at risk of flooding the council will provide sandbags. Domestic properties can be provided with 10 sandbags free of charge but quantities in excess of this, and those to commercial properties, are only supplied on a rechargeable basis.
Where large scale flooding was experienced the council would implement its emergency plan.
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Name: Public Health & Housing Services (Purbeck)
Email: envservices@purbeck-dc.gov.uk
Tel: 01929 556561
Fax: 01929 557351
Full details for Public Health & Housing Services (Purbeck)
