Worksop residents asked to sign up as flood signage volunteers to help tackle impacts of flooding

The scheme allows trained residents to close roads in approved locations during flood events and act quickly to support their community.

The most recent flooding in Worksop took place on August 16 after 96mm of rain fell in just four hours - almost double the average month’s rainfall. This resulted in 180 properties experiencing internal flooding.

The impacts of the flooding were found to be worsened by vehicles driving through flood water, which created bow waves pushing the water further into homes.

As part of its work to create more flood resilient communities, Nottinghamshire County Council is now on the lookout for residents in Worksop who could support their community during times of flooding by volunteering for the Community Flood Signage Scheme

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, cabinet member for transport and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said the scheme allows people already on the ground to place road closure signs while the council’s workforce makes their way to the area.

He said: “We all know that flooding can have devastating impacts, and I saw these first-hand when I visited Worksop following the recent flooding in August.

“The scheme has been successful in other parts of Nottinghamshire and I would like to stress to anyone interested that full training will be given by both the county council and our highways partner Via East Midlands.

“Of course, the presence of a Community Flood Signage Scheme does not take away from the great work that the council’s Flood Risk Management Team and Emergency Planning Team as well as the Incident Response Team from Via East Midlands do to protect residents and support them when flooding occurs.

“We’re trying to help in various ways: we want to make sure that we keep gullies clear, we are working with the Environments Agency and the internal drainage boards to make sure that water gets away as quickly as possible.

“We also have schemes for residents that are under threat where they can have flood barriers installed so that if there is a flood they can immediately help protect their homes.”

Anyone interested in volunteering in the Community Flood Signage Scheme can contact [email protected].