Severn Trent has issued advice to customers as the region experiences heavy downpours and strong winds.

Rain and reports of strong winds are being forecast on Friday and Saturday by The Met Office with much of Severn Trent’s region being affected with flood warnings.

In the past, strong winds have caused travel disruption, structural damage to buildings, uprooted trees and even caused power cuts. 

Severn Trent has now issued advice to customers about who to call if affected by flooding and said its teams are ready to manage storm-related incidents. 

Scott Ludford, from Severn Trent’s Network Control team, said: “We will see heavy rain and strong winds across the region, and we know how distressing any form of flooding can be, so we are issuing advice again, so people know who to contact if the worse happens.

“There are a number of things you can do to prepare for heavy rain and stormy weather, including checking your drains in your garden and homes, and at the roadside, and emptying your water butts before the rain starts. If drains do become blocked, contact the council. For river flooding, contact the Environment Agency and for sewer flooding or burst pipes, you can contact us.”

Flooding advice and who customers should contact:

• For flooding on roads, small rivers and streams. You should contact your local council to report flooding on roads or blocked drains or grates on highways. They will also help you with groundwater surface flooding, as well as flooding in streams, brooks and small rivers.   

• For major river flooding. The Environment Agency will be able to help you if you are at risk of flooding due to rising river levels. You can find more information and contact details on their website. The Environment Agency’s Flood line number is 0345 988 1188.    

• For sewer flooding or flooding due to burst pipes. If the flooding is coming from the public sewer you will need to contact us. If the flooding is due to heavy rain, we may need to wait for the flood water to subside before we can investigate. You should also contact your insurer so they can give you help and advice.   

Other steps people can take to help keep their home flood-free during stormy conditions include:  

• Clear out any leaves or other waste so rainwater can more easily flow away - check that your home and garden drains are free-flowing
• Empty any water butts in the garden before the rain starts, this will help reduce the rainwater flow into the drains when a storm arrives.  

• Have a look at the roadside drains around your house and clear any leaves or debris that you can – or get in touch with your local council if blocked. 

More information, including details on who to contact in the event of flooding can be found here or by visiting www.stwater.co.uk/ and searching for ‘flooding’.  

Further information on how to get the home ready for winter can be found here.