Soldier using heavy duty FloodSax in a scenario dealing with a suspected improvised explosive device Heavy duty FloodSax in their dry state before they come into contact with water Heavy duty FloodSax inflated after it has come into contact with water

Heavy duty FloodSax alternative sandbags usually used by the army now available to everyone as UK faces more flooding emergencies

A company that manufactures award-winning FloodSax alternative sandbags is to make a heavy-duty version normally only used by the army available to everyone to help prevent flooding.

The decision comes after thunderstorms and flash flooding led to catastrophic flooding in parts of London and other areas of the UK in recent weeks which has made people more aware of the need for flood management, flood resilience and flood control.

FloodSax managing director Richard Bailey said: “The main difference people will notice is that the heavy duty FloodSax are camouflaged rather than the traditional white. These bags are designed for use by the army and specialist police forces and we class them as heavy-duty bags but that doesn’t mean they are any heavier to lift and move.

“They have been tested to withstand blast fragmentation from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and bullets but they are still exceptionally light and easy to store and deploy before they come into contact with water. They are ideal for flood protection.”

To find out if you live in one of the UK's rainiest cities then click here.

To order the heavy duty FloodSax contact FloodSax manufacturers Environmental Defence Systems direct by emailing info@edslimited.co.uk or phoning 01484 641009 as they are not available through our usual suppliers.

When FloodSax sandless sand bags are submerged in water they are transformed from being as light as a pillowcase to become better than traditional sandbags in less than five minutes to provide reliable flood protection.

The semi-porous inner liner within FloodSax contains a special gelling polymer with hundreds of absorbent crystals that absorbs 20 kilos of water to become taut and easy to stack into anti-flood barriers.

Before they are activated, FloodSax are incredibly lightweight, amazingly weighing just a few ounces yet once expanded a row of standard 500mm by 450mm by 200mm FloodSax are strong enough to stop a powerful torrent of water in its tracks. Each row of FloodSax will keep around 20cms (8ins) of water out and have proved themselves as flood barriers time and again worldwide.

Although they are often deployed outside as a barrier to prevent floodwater from getting into homes or businesses, they can be used inside in their dry state to soak up leaks and spills in hard-to-reach places such as beneath faulty boilers, radiators and pipes.