Image of Bentley Toll Bar, Doncaster flood in 2007 © Chris Northwood (used under a Creative Commons licence)

This case study is about how communities and service providers in Doncaster were able to learn from flooding events in 2007 in order to develop a community flood warden scheme in flood affected areas. Community flood wardens can help to disseminate information to other residents and businesses about preparing for and responding to flooding.  If particular people who are vulnerable to flooding can be identified, these can be made known to a community flood warden who can provide extra assistance or information if required. Community flood wardens are also an extra pair of eyes and ears on the ground and can monitor river levels. It is also recommended that where property level protection has been installed, flood wardens or a flood group are formed in order to help to communicate warnings and support people to fit property flood protection (e.g. floodgates), particularly if they are less able to do so, for example due to their age or health.

It will be of benefit to other councils, particularly those in urban areas. It will also be useful for organisations who work on flooding where they feel that there is some mistrust between them and the local community, particularly following experiences of extreme weather events.