Flood Protection
The Council does not have a statutory duty to provide sandbags or give other assistance at times of flooding but it accepts that help will be given, where possible, in cases of emergency.
Residents should remember that the Council does not have a workforce who can be readily deployed on flood protection duties. The only employees who can be used are those employed for refuse collection or cleansing, services which the Council is legally obliged to provide. Similarly, at night or weekends, there are no regular callout staff and any assistance relies on volunteers and the goodwill of workers who have a full-time day job.
It is also worth noting that, at times of severe weather, calls are likely to come from all over the District, from as far apart as Milborne St Andrew in the south to Bourton in the north. The resources are just not available to attend every incident at the same time and some delay will be experienced. In addition roads are often blocked with floodwater limiting capacity to respond.
Read our advice on  Preparing for Flooding.
Community Flood Archive Project
Flooding can bring misery to those affected and severely disrupt community life. The Environment Agency is keen to add local knowledge to its own records of river, tidal and groundwater flooding.
The 'Community Flood Archive Project' has been set up to capture this information to help build upon the Agency's records at the local Blandford office.
They are asking local historians, archivists and record keepers if they have any detailed information on flooding in their local area. Read about the Community Flood Archive Project.
Please call Technical Services at North Dorset District Council on (01258) 484274 or e-mail us for more details of this service. |
