Environment Agency announces a new flood warning service for Tilgate and Furnace Green

Flood warnings alert people to the risk of flooding to their home or business to help them make informed decisions on how to respond. There are three types of warning – Flood Alert, Flood Warning and Severe Flood Warning.

Each type of warning is triggered by particular weather, river or sea conditions which cause flooding:

- Flood Alerts are issued to encourage householders to prepare for flooding. This could mean packing a bag including medicines, insurance documents and anything that couldn’t be replaced if flooding were to happen.

- Flood Warnings mean that people should act now which means turning off gas, water and electricity and moving family and pets to safety.

- Severe Flood Warnings are issued to warn people that they are in immediate danger and to follow advice from emergency services.

Mark Douch, Environment Agency Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager said: "Whether you live on a hill, in a flat or in an area that's never flooded before, flooding can still affect you, putting your home, your possessions and your family at risk.

"We want to ensure that everyone has as much time as possible to prepare for flooding. People in Tilgate and Furnace Green will now be able to receive our free flood warning service."

Additional funding from the Government has enabled the Environment Agency to invest in the latest technology and infrastructure needed to provide a flood warning service to over 200 communities across England. In total an additional 62,000 properties at risk of flooding will receive Flood Warnings between now and the end of 2022.

Signing up to the Flood Warning Service

Home and business owners will be automatically enrolled to the Flood Warning service via their mobile network. However, to get the most benefit out of the service the Environment Agency is encouraging people to register directly with them by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188, or visiting https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings where they can register their preferred contact details.