A few FloodSax alternative sandbags keep filthy floodwater out of homes and businesses All these 20 FloodSax sandless sandbags came from this one easy to carry box Old-style sandbags can deteriorate and fall apart when they come into contact with floodwater FloodSax preventing water damage beneath a leaking sink

Panic buying proves people are leaving it far too late to get flood prevention

People are needlessly suffering catastrophic flood damage as they are leaving it far too late to protect their homes and businesses when flooding is imminent.

Many don’t realise that local authorities have absolutely no responsibility to provide any kind of flood protection … it’s everyone’s responsibility to prevent floodwater getting into their property.

According to the Association of British Insurers the average claim for a flooded business is £70,000 while the average cost of a flooding claim on home insurance is around £32,000 while all this can be prevented by 20 FloodSax which cost around £140 – about the third of the cost of the flooding excess on home and business insurance policies.

In the aftermath of Storm Bert in late November 2024, hits on the UK’s best-known alternative sandbag website, FloodSax, show only too starkly that people tried to panic buy at the last possible moment.

FloodSax are manufactured by Yorkshire-based company Environmental Defence Systems Ltd which can get them to most parts of the country in a day or two.

Lucy Bailey from EDS said: “We saw a tenfold increase in visits to our website on just one day when Storm Bert was at its height, backed up by the number of people then clicking through to buy either direct from us or our distributors.

“Sadly, by then it was potentially too late as flooding happens so rapidly it catches people out. Far too many people still think it’s the responsibility of councils to provide sandbags but it’s just a myth. They have no responsibility to provide flood protection at all and have no budget to do so.”

In fact, many councils now use FloodSax themselves instead of traditional sandbags. Old-style sandbags are difficult to fill, hard to transport anywhere as they weigh so much and difficult to handle as they are so heavy and unwieldy. After all that, they often don’t work properly, quickly deteriorating and falling apart when they come into contact with floodwater.

FloodSax resemble very large pillows in their dry state and are in vacuum-packed bags of five which means they are very space-saving to store and a box of 20 can be easily carried by one person. Hundreds fit into the back of a car to be taken to the scene of a flood in minutes whereas a lorry would be needed to shift that many sandbags and take hours to do so.

FloodSax are also way better than sandbags because they are so multi-use and far more environmentally-friendly. In their dry state they are very flat with a large surface area so are ideal to soak up leaks, drips and spills such as beneath sinks, below boilers and even underneath pipes under floorboards.

Put them below leaking roofs and windows and they’ll absorb all the water and retain it. This is why they are used by facilities management companies worldwide and you’ll see them in public buildings ranging from supermarkets to hospitals.

To transform FloodSax into instant sandbags simply immerse them fully in water and the gelling polymer inside the FloodSax absorbs and retains the water, transforming the FloodSax into an instant sandless sandbag which is a uniform shape so they are easy to handle and stack.

Once FloodSax have been used they can be disposed of in landfill as they are largely biodegradable by weight.

These are just some of the local councils advising people to ensure they are protected from flooding with FloodSax … but they need to get the FloodSax themselves.

Gosport Borough Council in Hampshire urges its residents to use FloodSax, saying it has evaluated the bags. The council adds: “FloodSax have many advantages over traditional sandbags, being easy to store and move, easy to use and, importantly, easy on the environment, having a significantly lower carbon footprint.” 

Derbyshire County Council adds: “The county council has a limited supply of FloodSax and these can be provided to members of the public considered to be at risk of flooding for demonstration purposes only. Therefore, the county council recommends residents source their own additional FloodSax should they find that the product works for them.”

Adur and Worthing Councils in West Sussex say: “The Environment Agency now says that anti-flood devices like FloodSax are the way forward for people to protect their homes.”

The Environment Agency makes the situation with councils and sandbags perfectly clear, saying: “Don’t assume the authorities will provide you with sandbags in a flood emergency. It's the responsibility of property owners to take appropriate action to protect their property from flooding. Sandbags are relatively ineffective when compared to purpose-built flood protection products. We strongly encourage people to use these products.”

One of the UK’s most prominent flood campaigners, Mary Dhonau, hates sandbags with a passion and now promotes FloodSax wherever she goes.

She said: “When a flood happens everyone shouts for sandbags but they simply don’t work. They are also heavy, unsustainable and environmentally unfriendly. Sand escaping from sandbags can block drains too, making the potential for floods to be worse the next time.

“Sandbags do more harm than good and it frustrates and upsets me to see them continually being used as a go-to solution when they don’t work.”

To find out more about FloodSax and how to get them go to https://floodsax.co.uk/buy/uk-suppliers