With heavy rain falling across the region due to Storm Babet, Severn Trent is providing information to people who may be experiencing flooding due to the weather conditions.

The right organisations for help and support during bad weather are as follows:

• For flooding on roads, small rivers and streams - you should contact your local council to report flooding on roads or blocked drains or grates on highways. They will also help you with groundwater surface flooding, as well as flooding in streams, brooks and small rivers.

• For major river flooding - The Environment Agency will be able to help you if you are at risk of flooding due to rising river levels. You can find more information and contact details on their website. Their Floodline number is 0345 988 1188.

• For sewer flooding or flooding due to burst pipes - If the flooding is coming from the public sewer you will need to contact us. If the flooding is due to heavy rain, we may need to wait for the flood water to subside before we can investigate. You should also contact your insurer so they can give you help and advice.

Head of Waste Network Operations at Severn Trent, Steve Betteridge, said: “With rising river levels and flood water on roads caused by Storm Babet, being responsible for the wastewater network we’d like to support our customers with advice should they be unsure who to contact if they are experiencing flooding in these extreme circumstances.

“We know how distressing any kind of flooding can be, if it's rainwater the flooding should subside when it stops raining, although it can take up to four hours for water to drain away. 

“I'n some cases extreme weather can overwhelm the waste network and cause flooding. If there is sewage escaping from a manhole cover in the garden or outside your home, this is an absolute priority for us to help you, so please call us on 0800 783 4444 and we’ll get a team out to help as quickly as possible.  

“If you’re concerned about flooding from drains and gullies in the road, you should call your local council as they are responsible for road drainage, but again, we generally find that the flooding will go away when it stops raining. If the flooding is coming from a river or stream, get in touch with the Environment Agency who will be best placed to help.”

Call volumes into Severn Trent can be higher than usual in stormy weather and customers may have to wait longer than usual for a response, so following the advice above or visiting our website could help and save time.

Severn Trent also offers a webchat service online via the website and you can contact us on Twitter via @stwater. If the flooding is due to rainwater, there is no need to call unless it’s still there some time after the rain has stopped.