Sandbag Position Statement for Warwickshire Resilience Forum

Approved 4 September 2024.

If you are at risk of flooding

If your property is at risk of flooding (check here), Warwickshire Resilience Forum (WRF) partners recommend investing in property flood protection measures to reduce your risk. These products are more effective than sandbags.

For further advice see:

• Flooding Within Warwickshire leaflet
• Advice from National Flood Forum on property level protection measures
• Blue Pages property flood products and services directory

If flooding is imminent

Local authorities are not required to provide sandbags and their performance during flooding is variable. If you want sandbags, consider contacting a local builders' merchants. Alternatively, consider filling pillowcases or bags with soil to use in a similar way to sandbags, ideally with a tarpaulin sheet between them and and the door/opening.

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) Highways can look to provide sandbags on a best endeavours basis where flooding is from the highways in line with their policy. Call via WCC Customer Service Centre: 01926 412515 (Monday - Thursday 9am - 5pm, Friday 9am - 4:30pm).

For calls outside of the above hours, please contact Warwickshire Police on 101 to make the request. Warwickshire Police will, where possible, facilitate the out-of-hours contact with Warwickshire County Council. Warwickshire Police does not hold any sandbags.

Position of Warwickshire Resilience Forum Local Authorities

Warwickshire County Council	Warwickshire County Council, through County Highways, maintains a limited stock of sandbags prioritised for use on County roads to protect properties flooding from the highway and ensure road safety. During extreme flood events, Warwickshire County Council will consider the need and capability to support this through strategic use of stock (sandbags) at priority sites across the county. This allocation is strictly subject to available stock and competing priorities. The County Council will do all it can to support partners, emergency services and residents on a best endeavours basis, however support may not be possible and therefore cannot be assumed.
North Warwickshire Borough Council	North Warwickshire Borough Council has a limited number of empty sandbags and aqua-sacs available to support residents on a best endeavours basis. These can be requested by contacting NWBC on 01827 715341.
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council	Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council does not provide sandbags to private residents/businesses. A limited number of sandbags are available to support Housing Revenue Account (Council House) properties only, on a best endeavours basis. These can be requested by contacting NBBC Contact Centre: 024 7637 6376.
Rugby Borough Council	Rugby Borough Council does not provide sandbags.
Stratford District Council	Stratford District Council does not provide sandbags. A limited number of properties on Waterside in Stratford-on-Avon have been identified to receive sandbags if the risk of flooding from the Avon is high. These properties were previously associated with the Environment Agency temporary barrier scheme and deployment of sandbags will be taken proactively by the Environment Agency co-ordinating with WCC Highways and other LRF partners when forecast levels pose a risk to properties flooding.
Warwick District Council	Warwick District Council does not provide sandbags.