What is a Flood Action Group and is it time for you all to step up and form a dynamic working group? Some of us already attend Surrey Wide Flood Forum meetings and our few Water Rangers regularly test our local streams. These are Cranleigh Waters, Cobblers Brook, Thornhurst Brook and Littlemead Brook – to record just how healthy the water in them is – and when the water is contaminated. These waterways flow into the river Wey.
A Flood Action Group is needed and with climate change causing more intense and frequent storms leading to frequent flooding we need it now. Like many areas, in Cranleigh, Thames Water allows discharge of sewage into our waterways often. Do you agree we need to form our own Cranleigh Flood Action Group and to call regular Cranleigh Flood Forum meetings? We need the help of our local residents especially those with a particular interest in flooding, flood risk management experience and an interest in cleaning up our local waterways. In some areas this is also a task force that people call on for urgent help with flooding and sewage ingress! Wellies and wheelbarrows at the ready. We don’t yet have this here.
Flood Action Groups need to understand various missives created by Surrey County Council, the Environment Agency and Thames Water. So there is a bit of homework to be done. But knowledge is power. We can only argue a decent case with facts. Thames Water have several ‘plans’ – click here to understand their drainage and waste water ideas for the next 25 years around sewage. You can access the Storm Discharge information and live maps here.
Live reading 19 January 2025:
| River opposite Cedar Court, Cranleigh – Feeds into: Cranleigh Waters |
Improvement plan for this location
Discharging now. Our monitor indicates this storm overflow is currently discharging. This means there could be sewage in this section of the watercourse.
Most recent discharge – Started 04/01/25 22:30 Duration 353 hrs 42 mins
Read our frequently asked questions for more information about our storm discharge map
What is a flood action group?
A small group of local residents who meet up on a regular basis and work with Local Authorities and agencies to find ways to help reduce flood risks. They are an essential voice representing local people. In Cranleigh’s case, our lead Local Flood Authority and any future Flood Action Group would work closely with them. Surrey County Council have published the Local
Surrey County Council have a whole department dedicated to working for our community and you can click here to read about Surrey Prepared – emergency planning and community safety.
If there is any sign of sewage
Call your water provider Thames Water on 0800 316 9800
Cranleigh Society Archived stories
You can read all about the work done over the decade to bring Cranleigh’s water supply and sewage issues to the attention of the Environment Agency, the County council and Waverley Borough Council planners by looking back at our archives – click here A recent post is here
Trying to wade through( no pun intended) the TW plan is a mammoth task, but the scan through seems to be chock full of “fine words” and does mention billions of pounds worth of investments, but it doesn’t actually seem to say anything about building more sewage treatment works which is surely what is required. In Waverley we are hamstrung by a terrible lack of outfalls and with all the extra building planned I just don’t see any answers have really been addressed. I am no expert but relining sewers seems to be a very small part of the answer. Somehow the waste water has to be recycled on a much larger scale to both supply all the new build and to reduce outfall need.
At the bottom of my garden is a stream carrying water from the hills towards Cranleigh Waters –
This winter it has flooded far worse than I have seen in the 34 years I have lived here. That I don’t believe is because of new building- just the changes in nature. It is a huge problem and personally I have no faith in Government or Thames Water coming up with any solutions- indeed the government seem hell bent on making it worse with Thames Water very good at talking about it but barely maintaining what we have already got.