Key contacts for reporting flooding in Leeds
|
Flooding from
|
Contact organisation
|
Telephone No.
|
| Main river |
Environment Agency |
0845 9881188 |
| Ordinary Watercourse |
Leeds City Council, Flood Risk Management |
0113 3950298 |
| Culverted (i.e. piped) Watercourse |
Leeds City Council, Flood Risk Management |
0113 3950298 |
| Clean water supply mains |
Yorkshire Water |
0845 124 2424 |
| Public sewer |
Yorkshire Water |
0845 124 2429 |
| Private sewers and drains |
Leeds City Council, Environmental Health |
0113 222 4406 |
| The highway |
Leeds City Council, Highway Services |
0113 222 4407 |
| Run-off from higher land |
Individual land owner |
|
| Water in cellars |
Leeds City Council, Environmental Health |
0113 222 4406 |
| Waterlogged gardens |
Individual land owner |
|
Flooding from main rivers
The Environment Agency (EA) has enforcement powers on a number of bodies of water defined as ‘main river’ in Leeds. These include the Rivers Aire, Wharfe and Calder as well as smaller ‘main rivers’ such as the Wyke, Wortley, Farnley Wood, Meanwood, Cock, Oulton, and Collingham Becks.
Individual landowners are responsible for making sure rivers are not obstructed on their land, but the EA has legal powers to make landowners remove watercourse obstructions. In addition, owners must not carry out works affecting a river without the consent of the Agency.
Contact: Environment Agency
tel: 0845 9881188
or use the website link on this page
Flooding from ‘ordinary watercourses’, including becks and ditches
The Council has legal powers to make landowners remove watercourse obstructions on ordinary watercourses and is also able to investigate flooding.
Individual landowners are responsible for making sure rivers are not obstructed on their land (land ownership boundaries usually extend to the centre line of an adjacent watercourse). Owners must not divert, block, fill in or culvert a watercourse without written approval from us.
Contact: Leeds City Council
Flood Risk Management
Tel: (0113) 3950298
email: highways@leeds.gov.uk
Flooding from culverted (i.e. piped) watercourses
Individual landowners are responsible for keeping culverted watercourses and grids at culvert entrances running freely. We can investigate this type of flooding.
Contact: Leeds City Council
Flood Risk Management
tel: 0113 3950298
email: highways@leeds.gov.uk
Flooding from clean water supply mains
Yorkshire Water is responsible for water leaking from water mains.
Contact: Yorkshire Water tel: 0845 124 2424 or use the website link on this page
Flooding from public sewers
Yorkshire Water is responsible for all public sewers.
Contact: Yorkshire Water tel: 0845 124 2429 or use the website link on this page
Flooding from private sewers and drains
Private sewers and drains are the responsibility of the property owner. If there were a blockage or defect on such a sewer or drain, all property owners upstream of the blockage would be expected to share in the cost of its removal.
We can give advice in the case of disputes. In the case of Council-owned houses, we are the relevant property owner and the Neighbourhood Housing Manager would usually become involved.
Contact:Leeds City Council
Environmental Health Services
0113 222 4406
email: use the link on the right hand side of the page
Flooding of the highway
The Highway Authority has a statutory duty to maintain the highway. This includes taking reasonable care to make sure that it is properly drained.
Contact: Leeds City Council
Highway Services
tel: 0113 222 4407
email: highways@leeds.gov.uk
Run-off from higher land
Individual landowners are responsible for the drainage of their own land.
This means accepting and dealing with natural flows from adjacent higher land. It is not an offence to let water run off onto nearby land unless the flow has been artificially concentrated in a particular place.
We do not become involved in private disputes of this nature. If you have problems you may need private legal advice.
Water in cellars (not caused by sewers, drains, water mains or blocked watercourses)
Property owners are responsible for dealing with groundwater water ingress into cellars. Note that specialist advice should be sought before preventing water ingress by sealing walls externally or internally. A resulting external pressure build-up could cause structural damage.
Our environmental health officers may be able to help investigate the source of the water, provided that Yorkshire Water has already investigated and ruled out the possibility of leakage from sewers and water mains (see above).
Contact:Leeds City Council
Environmental Health Services
0113 222 4406
email: use the link on the right hand side of the page
Waterlogged gardens (not due to the above sources)
Property owners are responsible for dealing waterlogging problems.