Council teams help residents as Storm Ciarán approaches

The Met Office has currently issued a yellow weather warning of heavy rain across the Borough for tomorrow (1 Nov) and Thursday (2 Nov) with Storm Ciarán expected to sweep across the country.

Swindon Borough Council’s Highways teams have distributed sandbags to households that were recently affected by flooding as an extra measure of protection for their properties. This included a further 240 sandbags delivered to residents in Peregrine Close, Covingham.

Residents can request sandbags from the Council, but there is a limited supply and each request is assessed on an individual basis.

The Council’s drainage teams have also undertaken preventative gully cleaning in known places where flooding has previously affected residents. These areas include those close to culverts rivers and streams.

This is to ensure gullies and drains are clear and working to full capacity ahead of potential large volumes of rainfall.

Over the next 48 to 72 hours, the Council has placed additional staff on standby to support with any drainage requests and clearances should they come in.

Extra highways inspectors and operatives will also be on call to help local residents out of hours, if required.

Residents are advised to keep an eye on the latest weather forecast via the Met Office’s website: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

Members of the public can report any incidents of flooding or standing water via the Council’s website at: https://www.swindon.gov.uk/#services Similar requests to report drainage or sewage problems can also be made through the website.

Motorists are advised to take extra care when driving and to only travel if it is safe to do so.

Councillor Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “Our teams have been working incredibly hard over the last few weeks to support residents who have been affected by the recent flooding, responding to well over a hundred flooding and drainage enquiries.

“Unfortunately, we know another spell of bad weather is on the way so we are doing what we can to minimise potential issues caused by Storm Ciarán.

“Over the last few days we have been out to those residents who were affected by the flooding a couple of weeks ago to make sure they have enough sandbags and we will also have teams on standby to help residents where we can.

“I would encourage residents to keep themselves and others safe during the storm and, if high winds do affect the Borough, to secure their property and any waste and recycling they put out for collection. If you spot any flooding, standing water or trees that may have fallen, please report it as soon as you can to the Council via the website and we will deal with these on a priority basis.”