RESIDENTS are invited to find out more about preparing for a flood at an event hosted by the Environment Agency and Hartlepool Borough Council.

Currently, only four per cent of residents in the town are signed up to receive free flood warnings – which means they get vital time to prepare in the event of a flood.

Representatives from the Environment Agency and council will help residents understand their flood risk from the North Sea coast and Burn Valley Beck and know what to do to prepare.

Sarah Duffy, Flood Community Engagement Officer with the Environment Agency, said: “Just 4% of residents in at risk areas are signed up to receive free flood warnings in Hartlepool and it’s concerning for us that people don’t understand their flood risk, or feel they don’t need to do anything about it."

The event takes place on Tuesday, October 23 at Hartlepool Community Hub Central at York Road.

People can drop in at any time between 10am and noon.

The Environment Agency is urging people to ‘Prepare, Act, Survive’ by visiting the Floods Destroy website.