Emergencies

Important Contacts

  • Emergency Services: 999
  • Non-Emergency Police: 101
  • NHS Advice: 111
  • Wickford Emergency Line / Housing Repairs: 01268 533333
  • Domestic Abuse Support (Changing Pathways): 01268 581591
  • Social Services (Essex): 0345 603 7630

Key Advice for Residents

  • Know how to turn off gas, electricity, and water in your home.
  • Learn emergency plans for your workplace and children’s schools.
  • Agree a family meeting point and a check-in contact outside Wickford.
  • Check on vulnerable neighbours.
  • Tune in to local radio:
    • BBC Essex: 95.3 & 103.5 FM
    • Heart FM: 96.3 & 102.6

Weather Warnings and What To Do

  • Winter: Have 3 days’ supplies. Drive only if essential. Clear snow safely.
  • Flooding: Sign up for flood alerts. Don’t walk or drive through floodwater.
  • Storms: Secure loose items. Stay indoors. Avoid using phones and taps.
  • Heatwaves: Stay cool, hydrated, and indoors during hottest hours.
  • Fog: Drive slowly, use fog lights, avoid travel if possible.

Evacuation Readiness

If told to evacuate:

  • Turn off gas, electric, water
  • Take pets, medication, and grab bag
  • Help neighbours if safe to do so
  • Don’t return until advised

Essential Emergency Kit

Keep a grab bag ready with:

  • Torch, radio (battery/wind-up), spare batteries
  • First aid kit, prescriptions, water, snacks
  • Important documents, charger, house/car keys
  • List of emergency numbers

Flooding

Who to contact about flooding in your area
Flooding from surface water (rainfall) – Essex Flood and Water Management Team

If your property has been damaged by surface water flooding Essex Flood and Water Management Team will be able to investigate the cause of the flooding where possible and recommend solutions.

As the Lead Local Flood Authority, Essex County Council has a role in overseeing the management of local flood risks, including:

Groundwater flooding
• Surface water (rainfall) runoff
• Ordinary watercourse (streams and ditches)

Essex County Council Flood Protection

Flooding from highways drains or gullies
Essex County Council Highways

Flooding from water pipe

Anglia Water – to report an issue 03457 145145

Internal flooding
External flooding
Essex and Suffolk Water
Tel 03457 8201111
To confirm specific details customers can check their bills on
https://water.org.uk/customers

What Is Internal flooding?
Where wastewater has entered your property through doorways, airbricks, cable ducts or other means.

What Is External flooding?
Where wastewater has flooded your garden but not entered your property.

Power Cuts

UK Power Networks work closely with the Met Office receiving regular updates.

In the event of any power cut with damaged lines, the public are urged to stay well clear from power lines and anyone spotting a damaged power line needs to report it to UK Power Networks.
Search, track and report power cuts 
https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut

Reporting a Power Cut
105
If you experience a power cut, simply call 105 for free. 105 is the new nationwide number that will put you through to your local electricity network operator – the company that manages the cables, wires and substations that bring electricity into local homes and businesses.

Gas Incidents

Gas Incidents

Occasionally National Grid Gas are called to deal with a major incident involving a problem with one of their assets. The define a major incident as something that affects a significant number of households. When there is a live incident they will publish information around that specification incident in your area section of their 
web page and on Facebook and Twitter.

Contacting National Grid Gas

To report a gas incident please call the National Grid Gas Emergency Service number 0800 111 999 available 24hours a day.

Fire

In the event of a fire call 999.

Most fires are preventable. Fires need three things to start – a source of ignition (heat), a source of fuel (something that burns) and oxygen:

sources of ignition include heaters, lighting, naked flames, electrical equipment, smokers’ materials (cigarettes, matches etc), and anything else that can get very hot or cause sparks
sources of fuel include wood, paper, plastic, rubber or foam, loose packaging materials, waste rubbish and furniture
sources of oxygen include the air around us.