Highways flooding

People are asked to avoid driving unless your journey is essential. Please avoid driving on flooded roads. Recent rain, and the possibility of further rain, sleet and/or snow over the next few days will continue to pose a temporary flooding threat as the water runs off saturated land. High water levels in rivers and streams, high groundwater levels and run-off from fields mean that in many cases highways gullies have no outfall to remove water standing on the highway. Run-off also often brings soil etc into drains, clogging them further.

Please don’t report every instance of surface water. If it appears shallow please give the drains time to work once water levels fall. If there is an immediate threat to life or property, please contact 999.

Our highways crews are working to clear drains where they can, but in most cases until water levels fall, all our gangs can do is display flood warning signs. This work goes on alongside driving our gritters when needed, and conducting the most urgent highway repairs.

If in doubt about flooding, please check with the Environment agency warnings on Twitter. You can sign up for local alerts and view warnings on the Flood Warning Information Service.

If snow is likely, plan ahead - check whether your Essex road is one that we grit on our gritting map page.

Thanks for your co-operation.