Two years after Storm Henk

Written on 05 January 2026.

{Play}We're more prepared than ever

With very little warning, Storm Henk arrived on 5 January 2024 and put large parts of Marlborough under water.

Two years on, we've issued a press release to provide an update on what has been - and is still being - done to make the town more resilient to future flooding.

Prevention is better than cure

As climate changes, we are seeing more cloudburst type rainfall with heavy deluges that can overwhelm drainage networks, causing local surface water flooding and sewage spills into rivers.

These storms are often followed by long, dry periods so it is important to look for ways to predict and prepare for heavy rain, protect property from flash flooding, and be ready to respond should flooding occur.

It is also important to slow the flow of rainwater when it comes, and at the same time catch what we need to water gardens or create space for the water to soak into the ground slowly instead of rushing down drains to either the river or the sewage works. This is known as Sustainable Drainage (SuDS).

Please open the press release for a full update of what we, our partners and the wider community have been doing in the past two years.

Press_Release_5_January_2026_two_years_on_from_Storm_Henk.pdf

Here's a summary of what it covers (click each heading to expand):

Marlborough Sustainable Rainscape

We’re collaborating with Action for the River Kennet (ARK) on a SuDS project that we’re calling the Marlborough Sustainable Rainscape. In November 2025 we invited people to join us when we installed the first of our rain planters.

Phase one of this project is now complete. There are rain planters next to the Community Fridge in George Lane car park, a large capacity rainwater harvesting tank, and a rain garden in Priory Gardens. These are in town centre locations near the river, allowing anyone to view them easily and decide whether this is something that would work for them. The planters have been funded from a government grant distributed by the Wiltshire Towns Programme and are part of our ongoing project to improve the town centre that has already added new signage, street furniture and trees as well as producing a town guide.

Phase two involves working with at-risk residents to install rain planters for private properties, replacing and reconfiguring guttering and installing appropriate downpipes as well as clearing nearby gullies.

Flood Dashboard

The Town Council supported Pang Valley Flood Forum and ARK to develop an online flood dashboard which brings together information from river, groundwater and rainfall level gauging stations that impact on the risk of floods for Marlborough. A drop-in session was held on 3 April 2025 for people to learn about the dashboard and officially launch the tool.

Property Resilience

Homeowners in areas at risk of flooding have taken steps to protect their properties and lessen the impact of any future incidents: installing door flood barriers, smart air bricks, fitting non-return valves on waste pipes and even raising electrical sockets higher up the wall. Many of these measures were promoted at a flood fair held in October 2024.

Awareness Campaigns

From time to time, especially when new information is available, we contact at-risk addresses directly or share information publicly as appropriate.

During the aftermath of Storm Henk, we provided signposting for residents who needed help – pointing to grants available to home owners and liaising with Wiltshire Council to organise the collection of contaminated household items. We created an in-house leaflet and mail-dropped this to at risk properties in 2024, and mail-dropped this again in November 2025.

We took part in the Environment Agency Flood Action Week in October 2025 with tailored messaging specific to Marlborough which was released daily on social media, with a reminder on our website.

In November 2025 we contacted London Road and Barn Street property owners to invite them to a meeting to discuss the installation of rain planters at their properties (funded by a grant).

Flood Working Group

Straight after Storm Henk, a flood working group was formed comprising residents and councillors and supported by Wiltshire Council and the Environment Agency. Actions included:

• An information sharing and mapping exercise

• Updates to the town’s flood plan in light of lessons learned

• Contact with Thames Water to seek support and guidance for those affected by the floods and to work with them on mitigation measures for the future

• Recruitment drive for volunteer flood wardens

• Raising awareness within the community, to include encouraging residents at risk to sign up to Floodline for flood warnings and reminding people to report blocked gullies via the App

• Plans to work with the wider community (up and down stream) to look at how we can all work together going forward

Volunteer Flood Wardens

A flood warden recruitment evening was held in March 2024, and 13 flood wardens came forward and signed up to support the town. Their training was arranged through Wiltshire Council, and they have been involved in shaping and fine tuning the flood plan going forward.

Grant funding was sought and awarded by SSEN in November 2024 to the tune of £8,000. With the help of the flood wardens, we sourced and purchased the necessary kit to support our work on the ground. The group meets regularly to discuss necessary equipment and plans, and wardens routinely check on and report issues such as blocked gullies.

Multi Agency Partnership Working

A public meeting was on held in June 2024 involving Thames Water, Wiltshire Council, the Environment Agency and the Town Council to discuss short and long-term plans for flood mitigation in Marlborough.

Marlborough Town Council, Wiltshire Council Highways and Wiltshire Police met to discuss highway management during an emergency situation. Actions arising from this meeting included the provision of more warning signage, discussion around identifying a suitable location that is accessible for all agencies to store flood emergency equipment, and the importance of communication between all parties going forward.

Marlborough was one of a three locations involved in the Environment Agency led ‘Rapid Adaption Pathway’ workshop, which was a national pilot to look at what can be done to adapt to the risk of flooding caused by a changing environment. It led to the production of a toolkit that any local authorities can use.

We are also working with University of the West of England (UWE) to understand how we can combine local experience with science based modelling to help inform our preparedness.

Nothing can prevent flooding occurring. But there are steps which, when added together, can provide early warnings, help people prepare for and cope with flood conditions, respond quickly if disaster strikes, and make practical changes that can help people recover from flooding quicker and at less expense.

Flooding can affect anyone, any time. If we all work together, we have a better chance of protecting our community and being prepared to cope with uncertainty about climate change and the increase in rainfall.

We are grateful to our partners and residents who have worked with us over the past two years, meaning we’re now more prepared than ever.

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Two years after Storm Henk