Flooding - duties and responsibilities
Council duties
Many people believe that the Council is responsible for
protecting their property from flooding. The Council has no
statutory duty to prevent properties from flooding, but will take
action to assist residents and communities when flooding is
imminent, and when flooding strikes.
The responsibility for protecting individual properties lies with
the property owner.
The Council's duties are as follows:
- Assess the condition of watercourses for any risk of flooding
to non-agricultural land
- Publish a biennial report on flooding matters
- Cleanse, repair and otherwise maintain in due state of
efficiency any watercourse which may pose a risk of flooding of
non-agricultural land.
The duty to cleanse, repair and maintain a watercourse consists
essentially of clearing culverts, blockages and removing
debris. Other organisations, such as Scottish Natural Heritage, World Wildlife
Fund, Scottish Wildlife
Trust and the District Salmon Fishery Boards also have in-put
into what work is possible on watercourses and at what times of the
year.
What the Council does
Although the responsibility to protect your property during a
flood rests with yourself, the property owner, the Council will
where possible provide assistance in the event of a
flood. This will largely involve the provision and placing of
sandbags, diverting water flows and pumping out flood water from
public roads and footways adjacent to properties.
The Council will also provide flooding advice to landowners
regarding flood prevention and watercourse management.
Although there is no duty on the Council to do so, when sandbags
are requested by members of the public the Council will endeavour
to supply them. In extreme flooding situations this may not be
possible due to the level of demand placed on resources. As
sandbags are in limited supply they will only be provided to
properties that are in imminent danger of being flooded. To request
sandbags telephone 01738 625411.
Flood mitigation schemes
Councils have powers, not a duty, to promote and implement
flood mitigation schemes. Perth & Kinross Council cannot
implement a flood mitigation scheme without obtaining grant funding
from the Scottish Government. There are set criteria for securing
this funding. If a scheme does not meet these criteria, it will not
qualify for funding.
The flood mitigation scheme process is lengthy and can take
several years from its conception to completion.
What the Council does NOT do
Councils have no statutory duties in terms of preventing
flooding of property. Responsibility lies with the owner of
the property. For information on the steps you can take to
help protect your home see
advice and support.
Many flooding problems arise as a result of under-capacity in a
watercourse. The Council does not have a duty to improve or
increase the capacity of a watercourse. This responsibility
lies with the owner of the watercourse, who may need to acquire a
licence from SEPA before proceeding.
Councils have no powers to require landowners to address
flooding issues, although poor land management practices, such as
ploughing downhill rather than across, have exacerbated flash flood
events. The Council will provide advice on good land
management.
The Council is not responsible for dealing with flooding from
sewers. This responsibility lies with Scottish Water who can
be contacted on 0845 600 8855.
The Council does not have any duties or powers for maintenance
of agricultural floodbanks or to mitigate the flooding of
agricultural land and property. This responsibility lies with
the landowner.
What you can do
You can help protect against flooding by taking appropriate
action to stop flood water entering your property. This can be
done using sandbags to block doorways and other entrances to your
property. SEPA provides a list of flood alleviation products, including
sandbags. Alternatively check the Yellow Pages under 'Builders
Merchants' for local suppliers. If sandbags or other defences
are not readily available alternative emergency defences can be
created. A pillowcase filled with earth or sand will make an
effective substitute and could help to provide a vital barrier
against flood water.
In an effort to minimize flooding hazards it is important that
drains are kept clear. If you find any blocked road drains
near your property please call the Council on 01738 625 411 so
that it can be cleared. The Council has a policy for cleaning
and clearing the 37,000 drain gulleys on the regions roads, which
aims to keep gulleys free of debris.
Any property drains are the responsibility of the property owners
to keep clear
