People in Sussex are being urged to prepare for floods as data shows around 55,000 properties in the county are at risk.

The Environment Agency (EA) said homes are at risk after what has been wettest 18 months on record.

Caroline Douglass, the EA's executive director of flood and coastal risk management, said: "Climate change means extreme weather events are happening more frequently, and we have already seen an unusually wet September this year.  

"We can’t always predict where the rain will fall or where flooding will occur, but we do know which areas are at risk."

This week, until October 20, is the EA's Flood Action Week, where people are being urged to understand their flood risk and what to do in the event of a flood. 

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Ms Douglass added: "It is essential we all do our part by checking our flood risk and signing up for flood warnings this Flood Action Week.  While we at the EA are stepping up our preparations to increase the nation’s resilience to flooding as we head into the winter, taking small steps today can immediately improve your own readiness. "

Data shows 25,862 properties are at risk of flooding in West Sussex, while in East Sussex the number is 30,416.

READ MORE: Life inside town that could be under water by 2030

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said: "Flooding can be a destructive force that puts everything in life on hold. I’ve seen the impacts firsthand and am determined to ensure as much as possible others do not. 

"Through the recent launch of our Floods Resilience Taskforce, this government is taking decisive action to accelerate the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather. 

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"But this Flood Action Week, we must be all be proactive in taking steps to protect ourselves by checking our flood risk and signing up for flood warnings."

The EA advises people to do the following things to reduce the dangers:

  • Check your long-term flood risk at https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk
  • Sign up for flood warnings by phone, text or email at https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings
  • Taking steps to protect yourself from future flooding – including storing important documents in a secure, waterproof location, taking rugs and small furniture upstairs, checking how to turn off your electricity and water, preparing a flood kit