Somerset 2026: what the pumps did,
and what they could not do

Published 3 November 2026  ·  A RISE update  ·  6–8 minute read

Somerset had its second wettest January and February on record in 2026, with more than double the average rainfall. During Storm Chandra, around 1.2 million cubic metres of water an hour moved through the Parrett and Tone catchments. At the peak, about 30 square miles of farmland on the Levels and Moors was under water, and Somerset Council declared a major incident.

Somerset is outside the four counties RISE works in. We are writing about it because it is the clearest recent example of something every flood-prone household should understand: what emergency pumping is for, and what it is not.

What the numbers say

The two sets of flood figures come from different points in the recovery. The council's were published when the major incident was stood down on 18 February. The Environment Agency's summary was last updated in September. Either way, pumping and defences protected far more homes than flooded. That is no comfort to the homes that did.

What pumping actually does

On the Levels, the land behind the river banks is lower than the rivers when they are full. Pumping stations lift water off the moors and push it into the rivers. In January, the Environment Agency added pumps at Currymoor, Saltmoor and Northmoor, starting the work in anticipation of “trigger points being met”. By 28 January all six extra pumps at Northmoor were running.

That tells you three things about emergency pumping:

• It protects an area, not a house. Pumps are placed to lower water across a moor or a drainage district. Whether that keeps your ground floor dry depends on where you sit in it.
• It depends on the river having room. Pumped water goes into a river that is already high. The Environment Agency also ran the Parrett Flood Relief Channel at higher flows than in previous floods and cut temporary bypass channels to make that room.
• It is triggered by water levels. Pumps go in when levels reach, or are about to reach, set trigger points. A household cannot ask for one to be sent to its street.

Who decides where the pumps go

It depends on whose water it is. Somerset Council's own guide to the responsible bodies sets it out:

• The Environment Agency looks after main rivers and the defences on them. It deployed the emergency pumps in 2026.
• Internal drainage boards look after the drainage system in their districts, “including the operation of pumping stations and sluices”.
• Somerset Council, as lead local flood authority, investigates significant flooding and keeps a register of flood assets.
• Riparian owners, meaning anyone with a watercourse on or beside their land, must keep it clear so the water can pass.

As we set out in our guide to who is responsible when your property floods, these bodies have powers to act, not duties to protect a particular property. Emergency pumping is a decision those bodies make on the water levels in front of them, not a service a household is entitled to.

If your home flooded anyway

• Report it. In Somerset, the Environment Agency, the council and Somerset Rivers Authority urged everyone affected to report flooding online, because reports help with planning and with getting funding for flood risk reduction. Wherever you live, report it to your council. A flood that is not reported may never be counted.
• Ask whether there will be a Section 19 investigation. The lead local flood authority must investigate a flood in its area to the extent it considers necessary or appropriate, then publish what it found. Our guide to how Section 19 works explains why the request and your evidence matter.
• Ask what recovery support is open. After severe floods, the government can switch on its Flood Recovery Framework for named areas. It has included up to £500 for flooded households, council tax relief of 100% for at least three months at the council's discretion, and a separate grant of up to £5,000 for flood resilience measures. The government decides when and where it applies, so ask your council rather than assume.
• Keep a record of the timeline. When the water rose, when pumps started, when it went down. That record helps a Section 19 investigation, and it helps your insurance claim.

What happens next in Somerset

On 9 June 2026 the government gave Somerset Council £50 million for a two-year programme of flood resilience work, run with the Environment Agency, Somerset Rivers Authority, the internal drainage board and Natural England. The council's emerging priorities include reviewing the recent floods and support for property-level flood protection. The Environment Agency says it has since inspected more than 2,300 assets across Wessex, installed a bypass culvert at Northmoor pumping station and fitted new pumps at Midelney as part of a £9 million upgrade.

For a household, the lesson travels well beyond Somerset. Pumps and defences protect places. Protecting your own property, and holding the authorities to what the law asks of them when it floods, is a separate job.

If your home has flooded and you want to know what your own lead local flood authority should be doing about it, the RISE Section 19 Case Assessment is £250, delivered to your inbox.

Sources: Environment Agency, Somerset flooding 2026 (updated 29 Sep 2026). Somerset Rivers Authority, Environment Agency briefings of 26 January and 28 January 2026. Somerset Council, flooding incident moves into recovery phase (18 Feb 2026), responsible authorities and £50m flood resilience fund (9 Jun 2026). Defra, Floods Minister visits Somerset (10 Feb 2026). Flood and Water Management Act 2010, section 19. House of Commons Library, Financial support following a flood (England).