1. On becoming aware of a flood in its area, a lead local flood authority must, to the extent that it considers it necessary or appropriate, investigate

• (a) which risk management authorities have relevant flood risk management functions, and
• (b) whether each of those risk management authorities has exercised, or is proposing to exercise, those functions in response to flood.

2. Where an authority carries out an investigation under subsection 1) it must

• (a) publish the results of its investigations; and
• (b) notify any relevant risk management authorities

All flood events will be investigated informally but flood events resulting in one or more of the following impacts will normally be formally investigated under the Flood & Water Management Act:

• Danger to life
• 10 or more properties internally flooded
• 10 or more businesses severely disrupted
• 1 or more pieces of critical infrastructure severely impacted

A formal investigation under the Flood & Water Management Act might also be triggered if there is one or more of the following:

• Very frequent flooding
• Impact on particularly vulnerable people
• Severe economic disruption
• Significant environmental impact
• Requests of a significant weight

Following the conclusion of a formal investigation, a report will be published on the findings. The report will analyse the affected area and its flood history, summarise all of the information gathered during the investigation, identify relevant flood risk management authorities and where possible identify possible flood resilience actions that could be taken.

Timeline of events that took place during 2018 to 2019

9 July 2019

Bovis Homes have agreed to replace the grid at Sycamore Drive to help reduce the frequency of blockages – the work should be completed within the next few weeks.  

3 May 2019

Two water level monitors have recently been installed in the Wythall area; these are designed to constantly monitor the level of water at specified locations in the brooks, and when water rises to certain levels an alarm is triggered which will be sent to the District and County Council Officers.

The NWWM team are in the process of calibrating the alarm levels, but as soon as this is complete residents will be able to sign up to receive the alarm(s) most relevant to their address.

If you wish to be signed up to the alert emails, please contact the NWWM team.

11 March 2019

Property Flood Resilience (PFR) offers home and business owners practical and cost-effective ways to help minimise flood risk through the use of affordable bespoke products.

Check out the National Flood Forum website for information on Flood Protection and Resilience and preparing for flooding.

Examples of Property Flood Resilience:

• Air bricks
  Air brick covers and anti-flood air bricks aim to reduce the risk of water entering a property through air bricks. These can work automatically and seal when flood water rises or need to be manually fitted when a flood is expected.
   
• Synthetic Sandbags
  These act in the same way as conventional sandbags but are much more light weight when dry and take up much less storage space.  They are “activated” with water, and the synthetic filling absorbs this to form an impermeable barrier.
   
• Flood Barriers / Doors
  Flood Barriers can be fitted to doors (including garage doors) to prevent the ingress of water.  There are various flood barrier manufacturers and each one is slightly different, so it is recommended that you shop around rather than picking the first one you see.  Flood doors are also available from some manufactures; these look like regular uPVC doors but form a watertight seal when locked.

For more information on Property Flood Resilience, including where to purchase these items, please visit the NFF's blue pages which is a directory of property flood products and services put together to advise and inform you of what’s available to help reduce the risk of flooding to your home or business.

8 February 2019

Another information drop-in session for residents affected by last year's floods in Hollywood is being held on Wednesday 6 March at Hollywood Golf Club between 3pm and 6pm.

Residents are welcome to drop-in to find out how the recommendations in the flooding investigation report are being implemented and get advice if they still have any insurance or home repair problems.

21 December 2018

The Hollywood flood event Section 19 investigation report has been completed and can be viewed below along with the latest residents update sheet. There will be some paper copies available in the Woodrush Community Hub.

Download: Hollywood Flood Event May 2018 Investigation Report (PDF)

Download: Residents Update December 2018 (PDF)

29 November 2018

To date, surveys have been completed of ground level points, mainly focusing upon road gullies, culverts and other drainage features close to roads or public spaces. The next phase of the investigations has now started, with the focus moving to areas on private land where levels have not yet been taken. This data will feed into a basic flow model to identify any vulnerable locations which need further and more detailed analysis. 

Over the next couple of months, North Worcestershire Water Management (NWWM) may need to access your driveway or garden. NWWM will do their best to let you know in advance if they need to access your garden however, this is weather permitting so there are no specific dates or times as to when this will happen. For surveys to be conducted efficiently and in a systematic way, NWWM would be grateful if they can assume permission is granted to take measurements on driveways which adjoin the road. Please note that officers from the NWWM team will always carry identification and you are always welcome to check this.

5 November 2018

We are still investigating locally and the current focus is taking measurements of the streams and culverts to create a basic model which should highlight areas at higher risk of flooding.

The first draft of the flood event Section 19 investigation report has been produced and sent for consultation to all the key Risk Management Authorities and First Responders involved in the flood event. This will be published on our website in due course.

1 October 2018

A new residents update sheet has been uploaded, see link below. A reminder that tomorrow (2 Oct) is the drop-in session at the Hollywood Golf Club. Come and chat with us anytime between 1.00pm and 7.00pm to find out how the investigation is progressing and provide us with any information you think would help.

About Hollywood flooding

On the Sunday 27 May 2018, Hollywood, in the parish of Wythall, South Birmingham experienced a massive, local, unprecedented rain storm. Approximately 2 months worth of rain (130mm) fell in 2 hours (exceeding 2007) which made it impossible for watercourses and drainage/ sewer infrastructure to cope with the extra water. 262 properties have been confirmed as flooded internally and 66 flooded externally.

The information on this page is intended to continue to update residents and businesses in the area and will be updated as new information arises.

How can residents and businesses help themselves to recover from this? And who can support them?

This update sheet for residents contains information about the impact of the flooding, specific contacts for help and information and plans regarding investigations and ongoing recovery. This update for residents will be regularly changed with new information.

The National Flood Forum have been providing advice and support to anyone affected by flooding. To speak to someone who knows what you are experiencing and for information about any aspect of flooding, contact them.

National Flood Forum

What happened

We are currently gathering data to help inform us of the extent and severity of the flooding. This will also help determine the source of the flood and possible causes.

• All aspects of the flood event and response to it are being thoroughly investigated by the agencies and local authorities.
• Your input to the investigation is extremely welcome and important and it will be sought / encouraged in a number of ways.
• We, as Lead Local Flood Authority, are carrying out a formal investigation under s19 of the Flood & Water Management Act; the summary report will be published.
• The investigation will also begin the process of identifying possible measures which might reduce future flood risk and impact.
• Information on the extent of flooding and properties effected is still being gathered; if you haven’t had someone from North Worcestershire Water Management visit and either talk to you or drop a survey through your door, please email enquiries@nwwm.org.uk advising of your address and if you experienced flooding (including of the garden, a garage / shed, or inside your home), and any details on the source of the flooding.

Who do I call about what?

Reporting a blocked gully:

Report it

Reporting a blocked sewer or sewer flooding:

Contact Severn Trent Water

Reporting blockages in a watercourse (smalls rivers, streams and ditches):

If you are a "riparian owner" you may be responsible for the maintenance of your watercourse; for details about riparian ownership, see the leaflet on our roles and responsibilities section.

For general land drainage advice and to report issues with a watercourse:

Contact the NWWM team

On 26 and 27 October 2019 there was flooding reported across the country, the Midlands and across Worcestershire after a moderate rainfall event.In Hagley there were four properties internally flooded in Chestnut Drive.

On 14 and 15 November 2019 there was a similar story, with another moderate rainfall event causing a great deal of disruption and further flooding.In Hagley there were six properties internally flooded near Market Way.

A combination of organisations, local councillors and the local community worked together to respond to the initial flood event emergencies and then to deal with the ongoing recovery process.

This report summarises the investigation carried out by Worcestershire County Council, as the designated Lead Local Flood Authority, under its statutory duty within section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) to investigate and report on flooding it deems to be significant.

Download: Hagley floods investigation report (PDF)

Download: Appendix B - Recorded Rainfall (PDF)

Download: Appendix C - Flood Zone 2 in the vicinity of Chestnut Drive, Hagley (PDF)

Download: Appendix D - Flooding Mechanism Market Way (PDF)

Download: Appendix G - Market Way Hagley ideas for measures (PDF)

The investigation has examined the flood events, the immediate response to it and the ongoing recovery from it and it has developed a number of key recommendations for future action.