FloodSax alternative sandbags divert water away from homes saving countless thousands of pounds in flood damage

FloodSax alternative sandbags have been used to divert floodwater away from homes in a West Yorkshire town twice.

A new development called Micklethwaite Landings close to the Leeds Liverpool Canal in the village of Micklethwaite near Bingley suffers from water running down from nearby roads when it rains heavily.

Yorkshire Water gave some of the residents handy packs of FloodSax to deploy quickly in an emergency … and now that emergency has happened twice.

The FloodSax sandless sandbags were first deployed in May 2019 to divert water away from homes and down drains.

More FloodSax have just been used again after a burst water pipe beneath a road on the estate sent water cascading down the street once again, threatening to flood homes. FloodSax were again used, this time to divert the water away from the homes and into the canal.

The FloodSax were deployed each time by Pamela Grant who lives at Micklethwaite Landings.

In their dry state FloodSax resemble large pillowcases but they have a gelling polymer inside so once they’re immersed in water they absorb the water and then retain it, transforming the FloodSax into a sandless sandbag.

FloodSax are space-saving to store and far more environmentally friendly than sandbags which tend to deteriorate and spill sand everywhere, including down drains, blocking them. FloodSax are 96% biodegradable by weight.

Pamela said: “The water discharge system for this development is only supposed to serve the 27 properties here but we are at the foot of a hill and when it rains heavily water flows down towards us from neighbouring roads higher up.

“The FloodSax were easy to use. I just put them in the floodwater and they absorbed the water and energised themselves so I then built them into an L-shape to divert the water to where I wanted it to go.

“They worked a treat.”

Lucy Bailey from Environmental Defence Systems Ltd, the Huddersfield company which invented and manufactures FloodSax, said: “It’s great to hear how FloodSax have been used in action and the fact the second flooding emergency was caused by a burst water pipe proves that flooding can happen anywhere at anytime. Pamela’s story just shows how important it is to be prepared with flood protection measures as councils have no responsibility to provide sandbags.

“Every second is vital during flooding emergencies and the FloodSax can go from being packed away in a cupboard to being transformed into instant sandbags in less than 10 minutes.”

Flooding is one of the worst disasters that can happen to anyone as it usually wrecks homes, forcing people to move out for months while repairs are carried out. Just investing in a couple of packs of FloodSax can save all that trauma, misery and money. An average insurance claim after a flood is normally more than £30,000.

Environmental Defence Systems has donated a box of 20 FloodSax to Pamela to replace the ones she used so she’ll be ready for any future emergencies.

For more information on FloodSax go to http://www.floodsax.co.uk/