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Flood strategies and investigations


There are a number of documents produced by the council and others which provide further information on flood risk management in the borough.

A summary of the Draft Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for North East Lincolnshire is available here:

The full Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for North East Lincolnshire and accompanying environmental assessments are as below:


Plans and strategies

Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (PDF) sets out how we and others will work together to manage the risk of flooding. It has an Action Plan which sets out the work that the council and others plan to undertake in the short, medium and long term.

Under the Flood and Water Management Act (2010), it is the duty of a Lead Local Flood Authority to prepare and maintain a Strategy for local flood risk management in their area. A Local Flood Risk Management Strategy must be consistent with the national flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) strategy, taking account of the current policy and reflect the aspirations and priorities of other partners with responsibilities for FCERM along with wider local interests in linked environmental or social outcomes.

The Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy (HFRMS) was produced and updated by the Environment Agency in December 2022. It contains measures for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, the sea and reservoirs for 2021 to 2027 and beyond for the whole of the Humber river basin district. Local flood risk issues are included through reference to our Local Flood Risk Management Strategy to avoid duplication.

North East Lincolnshire is included within the Louth Grimsby and Ancholme catchment.

An aspirational broad scale plan for managing flood and erosion risk for our coastline, looking at the short, medium and long term. The main aim is to develop a sustainable management approach for the coastline. The Shoreline Management Plan can be accessed via the recently created SMP Explorer webpage Flamborough Head to Gibraltar Point SMP3 | Shoreline Management Plans.


Anglian Water ‘Keep it Clear’ campaign

Many sewer pipe blockages are caused by inappropriate objects being put down sinks and flushed down toilets. These blockages can lead to flooding but also other problems such as unpleasant smells and environmental damage.

Anglian Water have a campaign called ‘Keep it Clear’ which is aimed at educating people about the problems this causes and how it can be avoided.

The Keep it Clear website contains more information on how you can prevent blockages occurring.


Flood investigations

The council will carry out an investigation into flooding when:

  • Property is flooded internally (particularly for residential property).
  • Critical infrastructure is affected.
  • The public highway network is disrupted.

The investigating officer is not responsible for resolving the flooding although solutions may be identified as part of the investigation. The council will work with partners to investigate and establish the cause and notify the relevant authority of the results.

After the surface water flooding in summer 2014 the Cabinet Working Group on Flooding was set up to review what happened and make recommendations on how the council and other authorities should respond in the future.


Contact details

  • 01472 313131
    Opening times: by appointment only
  • [email protected]
  • Drainage and Costal Defence, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, DN31 1HU