Water UK, the body which represents the UK and water and wastewater sector at national and European level, have flagged up the role played by the utilities in the emergency response to the current floods.

The water companies have been working around the clock alongside the Environment Agency, local authorities and other emergency services to help minimise the impacts of the floods on drinking water and sewerage services. There are currently no large scale interruptions to customers’ drinking water supplies.

Water companies have established emergency plans and are already taking action to support each other including sharing equipment, such as water pumps and portable treatment facilities from non-affected areas, until the emergency is over.

The firms are also working to ensure that sewers keep flowing and prevent pipes from being overloaded by flood water, in order to mitigate the risk of sewer flooding in  customers’ homes. The water and sewerage companies are directly responsible for clearing properties affected by sewer flooding - each company has an emergency number to ring and information is available on their websites.

Daily checks are also being carried out on groundwater supplies to ensure they are not becoming contaminated with flood and storm water.

Building on experiences from the last major floods, in 2007, the companies are also working to protect their infrastructure assets, including water pumping stations and drinking water treatment works, from rising flood waters. In addition, contingency plans are being reviewed in the eventuality that flood waters reach unprecedented levels.