This summer has been one of the hottest on record across the UK, with hosepipe bans in place and reservoirs running low in large parts of the country. It sounds like good news for anyone worried about flooding. However, this often isn’t the case. Our team here at Stormguard Floodplan has seen this pattern before, and parched ground is one of the more overlooked causes of a difficult flood season.
Soil that dries out for long enough starts to behave differently. Clay-heavy ground in particular can crack and harden, and once it reaches that state it struggles to absorb water quickly. Rain that would normally soak in in a wet spring instead sits on the surface and runs off. That run-off has to go somewhere, and it usually heads straight for drains, gardens and driveways rather than the ground it fell on.
Drains built to cope with steady rainfall aren’t always ready for a sudden switch from drought to downpour. Add in a few weeks of heavy autumn storms and a system already under pressure can back up fast. For homes near rivers, low-lying streets or anywhere with a history of surface water problems, that combination of hardened ground and overwhelmed drainage is exactly the setup that leads to flooding.
None of this means autumn will definitely bring trouble. It does mean it’s worth checking your property is ready rather than assuming a dry summer has bought you a quiet season. A good starting point is a proper flood assessment, which identifies where water is most likely to get in and what would actually help. For many homes that means flood barriers fitted to doors, for others it’s flood fencing around a boundary, or air bricks that seal automatically once water is detected.
Getting the right flood defence solutions in place before the weather turns gives you a straightforward test in mind rather than a guess. Sourcing reliable flood protection now, while there’s no water on the ground, is a far calmer process than trying to arrange it once a warning is already live.
Stormguard Floodplan can carry out that assessment and talk you through what your property specifically needs. Call 01260 289 089 or email info@floodplan.co.uk to get in touch and book yours in before autumn arrives.