Frequently Asked Questions
Sefton Council does not have a legal duty to provide sandbags. Property owners have a responsibility to plan and protect their property from flood events. You can buy sandbags from most builders' merchants and DIY stores. Plastic or polypropylene are best as they last longer. There are also several modern types of sandbag on the market which use an absorbent polymer instead of sand which are easy to position. Another means of protection is by fastening plastic sheets to the outside of any external doors and keeping them closed.
More information on alternative sandbags and property resilience measure can be found at The Flood Hub and on the Blue Pages. If you have suffered flooding on a previous occasion, we would recommend that you keep your own stock of sandbags or have permanent flood protection installed.
Please note, Sefton Council does not collect sandbags after a flood event, you are responsible for their safe disposal.
Identifying the correct source of flooding is important so it can be dealt with quickly and by the correct risk management authority. Sefton Council Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Team investigates flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. Sefton Councils Highway department deals with flooding caused by blocked highway gullies and drains.
The Flood Guidance Website provides clear images and explanations of the different forms of flooding that can occur.
A riparian owner possesses land which has a watercourse running next to, underneath or through it. If the land is adjacent to a watercourse it is assumed that the landowner owns up to the centre of the watercourse, unless it is specifically owned by someone else (confirmation through a land registry check).
Under the Land Drainage Act (1991), riparian landowners have a legal responsibility to maintain the free passage of water through the section of watercourse that flows through their land. The responsibilities of landowners are outlined on the Government's Owning a Watercourse webpage and further guidance can be found on The Flood Hub website.