COMMUNITY SAFETY
Two Councillors have Community Safety in their portfolio and are able to deal with most of the queries you might have regarding the safety and welfare of village residents, if they cannot answer your query directly they can help you access the appropriate source of the information.
If you cannot contact the portfolio holder you can contact any Councillor or the Clerk they will be able to point you towards the information you require if they do not have it to hand.
SUSSEX POLICE
www.sussex.police.uk
Most of the time, if you need to contact the Police, it will not be an emergency, so you will not need to use 999 which should only be used for EMERGENCIES when there is a risk to life or property.
ALL UK Police Forces now use a single telephone number for non-emergency contact, where you do not require immediate assistance is 101.
When a call is received on 101, the system recognises where the call is being made from and directs your call to the Police Force covering that area. If you are calling from a location that is on the border between two forces you will be asked which one you require.
101 can also be used to get in touch with the local Neighbourhood Policing Team
AS ALWAYS – IN AN EMERGENCY 999
COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH
Community Speedwatch (CSW) is a national initiative where active members of local communities join, with the support of Police, to monitor speeds of vehicles using speed detection devices. CSW is not designed to catch drivers or get them fined, is is used as an educational tool to remind drivers of the speed limits through the village, especially near the School.
A Parish Councillor is the co-ordinator of the group and presents a report and summary of the previous months activity to the monthly Parish Council meetings, the reports can be viewed on the Reports to Meetings page.
CLICK HERE to find out about Community Speedwatch
FLOOD WARNINGS
Luckily, the majority of Etchingham residents live on higher ground in the village, a number of residents are however in the area that is at risk of flood. You can register with the Environment Agency to receive warnings of any possible flooding, if you live in a part of the village that might be affected by flooding you can register online at https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings or by phoning the Floodline on 0845 988 1188. You will be able to register, using your postcode, to receive warnings by telephone, mobile phone, text or email, you can use as many of the contacts as you like, all if you want to. To register for warnings your postcode needs to be within the flood risk area.
There will be some people who live outside the risk zone and therefore do not have an eligible postcode, but have animals or equipment in the area that is at risk of flooding. To help with that, a Parish Councillor is registered, on behalf of the Parish Council, to receive the warnings when they are sent out.
There are three levels of warnings – FLOOD ALERT = There is a POSSIBILITY of some flooding, Mainly low lying fields and roads, be prepared. FLOOD WARNING = Flooding is expected, possible flood danger to property, immediate action required. SEVERE FLOOD WARNING = Severe flooding, possible danger to life and property.
When Flood Alerts and Warnings are received from the Environment Agency they will be posted on the Parish Council website and sent out on the Parish Council messaging system, to sign up for the messages scroll to the bottom of any page on the website and enter your name and email address in the boxes.
When the warnings and updates are received they will also be notified on the Parish Council Facebook page and on the Parish Council Twitter account. ‘Like’ or ‘Follow’ one or both social media accounts to make sure you get early notification of alerts.
