What does ESCC do to manage flood risk?

As the County Council, we are designated as the Lead Local Flood Authority (or LLFA) for East Sussex under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. As the LLFA we have a number of key duties and responsibilities, these include:

Manage the local flood risk focussing on surface water, groundwater, and ordinary watercourses (small rivers, ditches and streams).
Develop a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.
Investigate significant flood events (section 19 investigations).
Maintain a flood risk asset register.
Regulate ordinary watercourses, including providing ordinary watercourse consent.
Promote sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) by commenting on the drainage of major planning applications.
Work and co-ordinate with other flood risk management authorities, such as the Environment Agency, East Sussex Highways, internal drainage boards, and Southern Water.

Flood Risk Management Strategy

The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) is guided by the Environment Agency’s National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. The Strategy covers a number of points on flood risk in East Sussex, including:

An assessment of local flood risk for East Sussex.
The measures being taken to manage this flood risk.
The other flood risk management authorities and their roles and responsibilities.

The current strategy was produced in 2016, and a new strategy is being developed which will be published in 2026.

2016 - 2026 East Sussex Local Flood Risk Management Strategy [2.2 MB] [pdf]
2016 - 2026 East Sussex Local Flood Risk Management Strategy Technical Appendices [6.4 MB] [pdf]

Working in partnership with external stakeholders

East Sussex County Council works with a variety of other flood risk management authorities to manage flood risk in East Sussex.

Environment Agency

The Environment Agency is responsible for managing flood risk from main rivers, reservoirs and the sea.

They manage flood risk by:

Issuing flood alerts and warnings
Maintaining and improving flood defences
Providing flood risk maps and guidance
Responding to major flood incidents

Internal Drainage Boards

There are three internal drainage boards in East Sussex, these are:

These IDBs manage flood risk to the land within their districts by maintaining and improving drainage systems, controlling the flow of water within their districts, and working with Local Authorities and Land Owners to reduce flood risk.

Working with planning authorities in the planning system

There are six Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) within East Sussex, these are:

We work closely with each of these authorities to promote Sustainable Drainage Systems in major developments, as well as ensuring these developments do no increase flood risk elsewhere.

Working with landowners to keep rivers, streams, and ditches flowing

At ESCC, we work with landowners to inform them of what’s called riparian ownership. Riparian ownership is when there is a watercourse on, under, or next to your property. These watercourses include any natural or artificial channel, above or below ground, through which water flows. This can be a river, brook, ditch, gill, or stream, and may be piped or culverted in sections.

If you are a riparian owner, you are responsible for the maintenance of the watercourse. You must ensure it flows freely within the watercourse without obstructing.

If you intend to do work within or next to a watercourse, you may require consent from East Sussex County Council, the Environment Agency, or an Internal Drainage Board.

Blue Heart

Blue Heart is one of 25 projects in the Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, funded by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The Blue Heart project, based in Eastbourne and southern Wealden, started in 2021 and will conclude in 2027. The primary objective of Blue Heart is to mitigate the impact of flooding caused by climate change using technology to manage and monitor water levels in Eastbourne and south Wealden.

Blue Heart is also working with schools and community groups to raise awareness of flooding and climate change, and to help these communities become resilient to the impacts of climate change.

- What is Blue Heart?

Watch on YouTube: "What is Blue Heart?"

Formal flood investigations (Section 19 Investigations)

When a significant flood event occurs, we will conduct a formal flood investigation, also known as a Section 19 Investigation.

This investigation will include:

A summary of the flood event.
What caused the flooding to occur.
The roles and responsibilities of each of the risk management authorities involved.
Actions taken during and after the flood event.
Recommendations to prevent future flood events.

Once the investigation has concluded, we will publish a report that is publicly available to download below:

Eastbourne - 2015. [1.3 MB] [pdf]
Hailsham - 2015. [3.2 MB] [pdf]
Hunloke Avenue, Eastbourne - 2019. [15.1 MB] [pdf]
Brooklyn Road, Seaford - 2021. [6.2 MB] [pdf]
Hastings Interim Report - 2023. [5.8 MB] [pdf]
Hastings Final Report - 2023. [8.1 MB] [pdf]
Hastings Town Centre Addendum - October 2023. [6.8 MB] [pdf]

Flood risk asset register

As Lead Local Flood Authority we are required to maintain a register of structures or features across the county which we consider having a significant effect (positive or negative) on flood risk. The register includes a wide range of features including culverts, weirs and bridges.

The asset register is a live document and updated periodically by the Flood Risk Management Team. To request a copy of the most up to date register please contact the team at FRM@eastsussex.gov.uk .

Surface Water Management Plans

Surface Water Management Plans (SWMPs) are strategic documents to understand flood risk from surface runoff, groundwater, and ordinary watercourses.

These are produced in collaboration with other authorities, including the districts and boroughs, internal drainage boards, and sewerage companies.

These SWMPs aim to identify local flood risk issues, what options there may be to prevent them, and who should be taking these options forward. This is all presented in an action plan that the involved authorities agree on.

Each of the SWMPs are available to download below: