The Environment Agency's model of a house showing how FloodSax can protect it from flooding

Here’s an inexpensive yet effective way to protect your home from flooding

The Environment Agency says people who live in areas prone to flooding need to prepare now by buying anti-flood products in advance as local councils have absolutely no responsibility to provide sandbags.

But the Agency says that according to the Association of British Insurers the cost of protecting your property against flash floods could be between £2,000 and £6,000. In areas vulnerable to prolonged flooding the cost could spiral to between £20,000 and £40,000.

The Agency says people can use FloodSax alternative sandbags to protect their doors … and if people opt for that then the cost would be way below the ABI’s estimates.

FloodSax managing director Richard Bailey said: “A case of 20 FloodSax retails for around £125 and would be enough to protect doors against floodwater rising to 12 inches high – a small price to pay for peace of mind – and even higher with a back support such as a metal or wooden plate.”

FloodSax are vacuum-packed which means they are space-saving to store and quick and easy to deploy. Once they come into contact with water they expand from being the size of a large pillowcase to become as taut and large as traditional sandbags – but without the mess and heavy lifting that sand involves.

In its online guidance called Prepare Your Property For Flooding, the Environment Agency has an image of a house showing how FloodSax can protect the doors along with lots of other anti-flood advice.

And it warns: “Don’t wait until flooding looks likely as you won’t have time to buy or put the measures in place.”

FloodSax is one of many products featured in a special directory on flood charity the National Flood Forum’s website www.floodforum.org.uk. It’s called the Blue Pages directory and is a comprehensive listing of flood protection and resilience products.

More than 2.5 million FloodSax have now been sold worldwide.