More areas prone to flooding are set to receive a helping hand, thanks to a wave of new volunteers signing up to be community flood signage wardens.
The volunteers have joined as part of a scheme run by Nottinghamshire County Council’s Flood Risk Management team.
Over 60 people from across the county recently attended a workshop at County Hall where they took part in flood prevention and flood response training provided by the county council, Via East Midlands and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
It included hands on experience setting up flood signage and road closures, guidance on water safety and communicating with residents, training on minimising damage to property, and advice on supporting the most vulnerable members of the community.
Neil Clarke, cabinet member for transport and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Flood signage wardens give local communities someone to turn to for information and advice. At the heart of their community, they are well placed to respond quickly and make their communities aware of emerging issues as and when they happen.
“The scheme allows trained members of the community to close roads during times of flooding which promotes road safety and prevents vehicles from creating bow waves, as drivers are often unaware of the damage these waves cause to property.
“During the previous floods, I met with a number of flood signage wardens who played a crucial role in their community and I’m delighted to see that more people have come forward to take on this important role.
“I hope they found the training useful and informative and that it will help areas of Nottinghamshire to be even better prepared for flooding in the future.”
There are currently over 350 volunteer flood signage wardens in Nottinghamshire and 24 active schemes, providing an important link between the county council, as lead local flood authority, and the community. A further 16 schemes are in progress across the county.
The flood signage wardens are only permitted to erect warning signs or close roads as agreed by the council and are required to contact the authority before signs are set up and taken down.
The 24 community flood signage schemes already in place are: Bleasby, Bilsthorpe, Burton Joyce, Carlton on Trent, Caythorpe, Collingham, Colston Bassett, Cropwell Butler, Egmanton, Epperstone, Girton, Holme, Lambley, Lowdham, Maplebeck, Normanton on Soar, North and South Wheatley, Shireoaks, South Muskham and Little Carlton, Southwell, Sutton Bonnington, Thurgaton, Woodborough, and Worksop.
The 16 community flood signage schemes in progress are: Hoveringham, Oxton, Rampton, Widmerepool, Radcliffe on Trent, Costock, East Leake, Fiskerton, Gamston, Gunthorpe, Gotham, Kirklington, Pleasley, Rhodesia, Sutton on Trent, and Tollerton.
