If there is a risk to life then call the emergency services on 999, ask for the Fire and Rescue Service. 

If there is a severe and imminent risk of the property being flooded and you have no prevention items at all then you can contact the Council on 01908 252353 (out of hours 01908 226699) to request sandbags from the Highway team. These will only be distributed if there is a severe risk and the team only keep a small stock in case of emergencies.

• Deploy any flood prevention products that you have such as sandbags, aqua sacs, bags of soil or door dams.
• Put together an overnight bag of essential items including any home insurance documents.
• Switch off electric and gas and move any valuables and pets upstairs.
• Move vehicles to a safe location.

More detailed information on steps to take can be viewed here: What to do in a flood event

1 in 6 properties in England are at risk of flooding from rivers, sea and surface water, with many others susceptible to various sources of flooding. This number is only set to increase due to climate change, making the need for you as a property owner to check your own risk ever more important.

You can check your long term flood risk on the Environment Agency website.

If you live near a river, you can check whether the Environment Agency have issued any flood alerts or flood warnings here.

You can also check this flood map for planning, which is used in development planning to find out the flood risk in a given location, and indicates which flood zone an area is in.

You can also check you flood risk by calling the Environment Agency's Floodline: 0345 988 1188.

Sign up to the Environment Agency flood warning service if your property is at risk of flooding from a main river.

Sign up to weather warnings from the MET Office so you can be prepared if the forecast is for heavy rain or thunderstorms.