Storm damage

Storms, floods and snow can damage your home and the area around it. Here's what to do if this happens, and how we deal with repairs caused by bad weather.

Storm damage:

• Storms can damage fences. If your fence is damaged or blown over, let us know straight away. This is especially important if it’s fallen onto a public path or road. We'll make the fence safe, but we may not replace it straight away.
• Storms can also move or loosen roof tiles. Please report any loose tiles to us as soon as you can.
• Who to tell about fallen trees depends on where they are. Any fallen trees on roads or pavements should be reported to the council. If it's in any communal areas we owned , please report to us. If the tree is in your garden, it's your responsibility, but if it's damaged your home, please report it to us.
• If you have a power cut, or a complete loss of electric, contact your energy supplier by calling 105.

Flooding:

• If your home is flooded, let us know straight away.
• If you notice blocked road drains or gullies are causing flooding near your home, please report it to the council using the links on this page.
• If you need sandbags, we have a small amount that we can give to you, but Dorset and Somerset councils can also provide them. Click here for more info.

Snow:

• We provide grit bins at all sheltered schemes and fill them up regularly. You can use this to use this to grit paths around your home. We don’t routinely grit paths or roads ourselves, but, if there's a problem where you live or your grit bin is empty, please let us know.
• Bad weather can often make travel difficult. This may mean that our trades operatives and other colleagues aren’t able to get to you for an appointment. If an appointment needs to be cancelled or rearranged, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

How we prioritise repairs:

Storm and flood damage affecting your home will be treated as emergency repairs.

Fencing is not treated as an emergency unless it has affected a public right of way. For fencing issues, we'll make sure that any damage caused is made safe, but we won't replace the fencing immediately. Due to the amount of fencing repairs we currently have, there will be a delay for replacement fencing to be installed.

When attending to an emergency repair, our aim is always to make the damaged part of your home safe, but we may have to come back at a later date to finish the repair fully. For more information on what we class as an emergency, urgent or routine repair, click here.