Your home has flooded somewhere in Buckinghamshire. Here is who is responsible, when the council has to investigate, the flood investigation reports it has published, and what to do next — from a consultancy founded after two floods in this county.
Flooding in Buckinghamshire rarely belongs to one organisation. Knowing which one owns the problem is the difference between a complaint that goes nowhere and one that has to be answered.
Not sure which authority covers your address? Use our flood contacts finder.
Buckinghamshire Council publishes its own thresholds for a formal Section 19 investigation. In summary, it looks at floods where:
Floods below these thresholds can still be referred if a risk management authority considers them significant. But the council also says it is unlikely to investigate where the cause and responsibility are already understood — which can leave repeat-flooded streets without a fresh report.
That gap is where RISE works. In one case, it took Section 19 evidence through to more than £2m of completed council-funded works. See the evidence.
If your area has flooded before, a published report may already name the cause and the responsible bodies. That is valuable evidence for your claim, your rebuild and any escalation. Search by town or village.
31 reports
No published report for that place. That doesn’t mean your flood wasn’t significant — it may never have been formally reported. A Section 19 Case Assessment will tell you where you stand.
Reports are hosted by Buckinghamshire Council. Reports from 2024 are the council’s “detailed flood reports”. List checked against the council’s flood investigations page in September 2026. Reports are added as the council publishes them.
Call 999 if anyone is at risk. Turn off electricity at the mains only if you can do so safely and dry.
Photograph and video the water level, its route into the property, and any blocked drains or gullies in the street. Note times. This evidence disappears within hours.
Report internal flooding through the council’s flooding, drains and sewers pages, and ask neighbours to do the same. Reported floods are the only ones the council can count.
Decisions in the first 72 hours shape the whole recovery. A free 30-minute consultation costs nothing.
Your Section 19 Case Assessment reaches your inbox within 15 minutes and sets out your authority, the thresholds that apply and your next moves.
Want the full step-by-step, including safety, cleaning, drying and your health? Read What to Do After a Flood. Free, no sign-up.
RISE works with homeowners throughout the county, including Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Buckingham, Chesham, Amersham, Marlow, Beaconsfield, Princes Risborough, Wendover, Gerrards Cross, the Chalfonts and the villages of the Vale. For background on flooding across the county, read our article Buckinghamshire Under Water. Also see our services and Section 19 reference manual.
Buckinghamshire Council, as the Lead Local Flood Authority. Under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 it must investigate floods to the extent it considers necessary or appropriate, and it publishes formal reports for events that meet its thresholds.
It depends on scale and history. The council's thresholds include five or more homes flooded internally within one square kilometre, two or more businesses, one property flooded for a week or longer, or flooded critical infrastructure. It may decline where the cause and responsibility are already known. Report every internal flood, because unreported floods can't count towards the thresholds.
No. The council states that a Section 19 investigation does not provide designed solutions, funding or the power to force other authorities to act. Recommendations are passed to the responsible bodies. The council has no power to make them act. Getting recommendations delivered usually takes sustained, evidence-led escalation.
Report it anyway and encourage neighbours to report theirs, since several individual reports can add up to a qualifying event. You can also ask a risk management authority to treat the flood as significant. A RISE Section 19 Case Assessment sets out the strongest route for your specific situation.
Gullies and highway drains on local roads are the responsibility of Buckinghamshire Council as highways authority. Motorways and major trunk roads are managed by National Highways.
Your sewerage company. Sewerage boundaries don't follow county lines, so check which company serves your postcode using the water and sewerage company lookup on the Water UK site before reporting.
No obligation. No jargon. By the end of the call you will have a clear view of your options — whether you engage RISE or not.
Call any time No callback RISE directly