Flooding, drainage and gullies

Find out about road flooding, drainage issues and gully emptying.

Road flooding

Flooded and waterlogged roads result when the amount of water arriving on the road is greater than the capacity of the drainage facilities that take it away.

Even when drains are in good working order some situations can lead to the road flooding or being waterlogged:

  • exceptional rainfall
  • a road being in a low lying area
  • changes in 'run off' from adjacent fields
  • a waterway overflowing.

Gullies

Our specialist contractor keeps 137,000 drainage gullies across West Sussex clean.

We prioritise them by the level of silting that occurs in them, but this can alter through changing conditions.

If you see a gully that is overflowing this may not necessarily be due to silt, but possibly due to excess surface water.

Find out how to report different types of flooding such as from rivers or sewers.

More information about flooding

We have lots more information about all types of flooding and flood protection in our Flooding section, including:

Operation Watershed

Following extreme weather experienced in 2012, Operation Watershed was set up to invest in highway drainage and environmental improvements in areas of the county worst affected by the flooding. 

 
Last updated:
20 October 2023
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