'Hero' wardens needed to help flooded neighbours

Community volunteers are being recruited for flooding emergencies

"Heroic" volunteer wardens are being recruited to help their neighbours cope with and prepare for flooding.

Those with "a calm head" are invited to join the Cotswold volunteer flood wardens scheme.

No experience is required as volunteers are given training by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council and Cotswold District Council, which run the scheme.

"When flooding happens, it's an incredibly stressful time and lots of people need help, or don't know what to do," said district councillor Tristan Wilkinson.

He said flood wardens were essential as they know their communities "better than anybody else".

Tristan Wilkinson encouraged "anyone who is passionate about their community" to join the scheme

The role involves:

• Monitoring local watercourses and drainage systems for potential flood risks

• Sharing information with local authorities to enable timely action

• Assisting with community flood preparedness, including raising awareness about available resources

• Providing real-time updates for residents during flooding and telling them where to report issues

The warden scheme was launched in 2021 in the face of "increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and flood risks".

Mr Wilkinson said: "Flood wardens enable us as a council to connect to those local communities in a way that we just wouldn't be able to do [otherwise].

"You need people with a calm head who can really focus on what's important and get stuff done.

"I think helping a community in its hour of need, in my book, is absolutely a heroic act."

Those interested in applying are asked to visit the dedicated flood wardens page on Cotswold District Council's website.