Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells receives new flood warning service
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-17)

New warning for Southborough Stream. 106 properties in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells to benefit. Households urged to register for new, more targeted, service.

The Environment Agency has announced that they’ll be offering a new flood warning service to 106 properties in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, Kent, for the Southborough Stream.

Parts of Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are at risk of flooding from the Southborough Stream, which drains the north of the main Tunbridge Wells urban area, flowing north towards its meeting with the River Medway, east of Tonbridge. This stream was previously included as part of a wider flood alert area for the middle Medway and had no existing flood warning service. A new flood alert and flood warning area has now been created for the stream to allow more than 100 properties to be better prepared for flooding.

The new areas have been created by targeting groups of households where during periods of flood risk, the chances of flooding might be greater than the larger surrounding area. This will make the flood warnings they receive more targeted and enable the homeowners to take the steps they need to respond in good time.

Flood Warnings tell people about an imminent risk of flooding to their home or business and helps people make informed decisions about how to respond. There are three types of warning – flood alert, flood warning and severe flood warning. Each warning type is triggered by particular weather, or river or sea conditions that cause flooding.

Householders are encouraged to prepare if they receive a flood alert, which could mean packing a bag that includes medicines, insurance documents and anything else they wouldn’t want to lose if flooding were to take place.

A flood warning calls on people to act now which means turning off gas, water and electricity and moving family and pets to safety.

A severe flood warning means you are in immediate danger and to follow advice from emergency services.

Henry Bethell, Environment Agency flood resilience team leader for Kent, said:

We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities is our top priority. However, the climate emergency means we cannot prevent all flooding – so we’re working to make communities resilient to future flooding.

We want to ensure that everyone has as much time as possible to prepare for flooding, which is why we’re pleased that people in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells will now be able to receive our free flood warning service for the Southborough Stream.

Home and business owners will be automatically enrolled to the flood warning service via their mobile network. However, to get the most benefit out of the service the Environment Agency is encouraging people to register directly with them by calling Floodline on xx-xxxx-xxxx, or visiting www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings (https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fsign-up-for-flood-warnings&data=05%7C02%7CAndrew.Turton1%40defra.gov.uk%7C169f6d16fd70485b640908ddc474e2de%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638882728583908286%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0NeaA%2BqoRU8koywTk9Dx4n4iomEBdGyeyE%2BNrSEFLrw%3D&reserved=0) where they can register preferred contact details.

Background:
- 6.3 million properties in England are at risk of flooding.
- With climate change projections, 8 million properties could be at risk of flooding by mid-century.
- The average cost of flood damage to a home is £30,000.
- The average cost of flooding to a business is £82,000.
- If you are flooded, temporary accommodation costs on average £10,000.
- If you are flooded you are likely to be out of your home for an average of 5 months.
- Know what to do when you receive a flood warning and download a personal flood plan – www.gov.uk/guidance/flood-alerts-and-warnings-what-they-are-and-what-to-do (https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fguidance%2Fflood-alerts-and-warnings-what-they-are-and-what-to-do&data=05%7C02%7CAndrew.Turton1%40defra.gov.uk%7C169f6d16fd70485b640908ddc474e2de%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638882728583932436%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=iLY5RNJ%2FU0oMpR2hojCrzj%2F5AfI10BbynFkxplH8RYs%3D&reserved=0).
All Environment Agency news releases, both area and national, can be found under Announcements at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Forganisations%2Fenvironment-agency&data=05%7C02%7CAndrew.Turton1%40defra.gov.uk%7C169f6d16fd70485b640908ddc474e2de%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638882728583949086%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=8EynXp3emSQpEfP2nQfcU502tFCF8%2BN8KkBTS2E6%2FLg%3D&reserved=0).

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