News
Severn Trent on standby to deal with any sewer flooding during Storm Barbara
23rd December 2016
Teams from Severn Trent are on standby in case of any issues with sewer flooding for any of the eight million people the company serves with Storm Barbara due to hit the region over the next few days. We’re aware that the storm is coming and, even though it’s the festive season, we’re committed to making sure our customers get the best possible service. We’ll have teams in our call centres and across the region ready to deal with any situation that might arise as a result of Storm Barbara. In addition, we’ve got teams keeping an eye on those areas, such as Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, that we know have a high risk of flooding.
Emma FitzGerald, Managing Director of Wholesale Operations, said: “We really hope that Storm Barbara doesn’t bring any issues for our customers but, if it does, then we’ll be available across the whole festive season to help our customers through what can be very difficult situations.“I can assure all of our customers that, if there are any problems, we’ll get them sorted as quickly as we can."If anyone has flooding at their home, we’d advise that you check to see if it’s just rainwater or if it’s sewage that’s come from an overflowing sewer, possibly through a manhole cover in your garden or outside your property.
If it’s just rainwater, the flooding should subside when it stops raining, although it can take up to four hours for water to drain away, so be patient. Where sewage is escaping this is obviously a priority for us, 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, as they have responsibility here.
Call volumes into Severn Trent can be high in stormy weather and customers may have to wait longer than usual for a response, so following the advice above, or visiting our website stwater.co.uk could save you some time.
We also offer a webchat service on 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 is still there some time after the rain has stopped.