Flooding and land drainage - West Dorset District Council

You could be affected even if your home doesn't flood. We can help you, your community or business to be better prepared.

We work closely with the Environment Agency (opens in a new window) to help promote and facilitate their Flood Warden Scheme.

We will provide sandbags for a community sandbag store, the benefit is that the sandbags are close to hand if they are needed in an emergency. The Emergency Planning team here at West Dorset are promoting Community resilience plans which encompass many risks to the community including flooding.

The Environment Agency provides information on what to do before, during and after a flood (pdf, 363kb) (opens in a new window)

We advise anyone who feels they are at risk of flooding to invest in some form of flood protection. You can find information on what products are available on the Flood Forum website (opens in a new window) .

Sandbags

We provide sandbags in an emergency to homes that are at risk of flooding free of charge.

We will only provide sandbags to protect the house we cannot provide sandbags to protect garages (unless integral), sheds, gardens etc. We will deliver sandbags to business premises but we do charge for this service. Please note that we do not collect sandbags after the event.

You are also able, in an emergency, to collect the sandbags from our depot in Dorchester. We only have limited resources available and therefore we cannot guarantee that we can get sandbags to everybody that requests them during a flooding event.

To request sandbags please call 01305 252356 (in office hours) and 01305 251010 (out of hours). Please note you will need to press 1 when instructed to be put through to our out of hours call handlers.

Land Drainage

Generally if the watercourse runs through or adjacent to your property/land you are a riparian owner. Riparian owners are responsible for the maintenance of the watercourse. If you wish to do any work in, above or near a watercourse you are likely to need consent from the Environment Agency.

The Environment Agency produces a helpful Living on the Edge leaflet (pdf, 143kb) (opens in a new window) explaining the rights and responsibilities of living next to a watercourse. Please note it is an offence to fill in or obstruct any form of watercourse.

West Dorset District Council is the Local Land Drainage Authority for ordinary watercourses within the district. This means we have powers to enforce the Land Drainage Act along with the Environment Agency and the County Council.

West Dorset District Council offers help and advice to residents who are worried about land drainage and flooding. You can contact us using the details below.