Council backs flood awareness campaign

The council is reminding those whose homes have been swamped previously to check they have personal flood emergency plans in place. They should also have crucial insurance.

The alert comes during Flood Action Week – which is an Environment Agency awareness campaign that began on 13 October.

It also follows hurricane season being in full swing across the Atlantic – posing a threat to the UK from storm remnants.

The first weekend of October saw the dregs of Hurricanes Imelda and Humberto combine to hit the country in the form of Storm Amy. The Met Office issued amber weather alerts for Scotland and Northern Ireland – meaning potential flooding and a risk to lives.

Erewash’s leader Cllr James Dawson said: “It was only two years ago that Storm Babet brought autumn chaos to Erewash – coinciding with Ilkeston Fair.

“Flood Action Week is a reminder to people that we are not immune from something similar happening again.”

The authority in charge during major flooding is Derbyshire County Council. Its website is packed with advice – and there is more information on the borough council’s flooding pages.