The Boxing Day floods in 2015 caused horrendous damage in the UK All these 20 FloodSax alternative sandbags came from this one easy-to-carry box FloodSax sandless sandbags holding filthy floodwater at bay FloodSax are ideal for soaking up internal floods to prevent very costly water damage

10 years since devastating Boxing Day floods … make sure you’re prepared for any kind of flooding with FloodSax

It’s 10 years since the horrific Boxing Day floods wreaked havoc across the north of England in 2015.

The catastrophic floods triggered by weeks of heavy rain culminating in Storm Eva lashing the country brought record rainfall to already saturated areas of northern England.

Those worst hit were West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria and Lancashire causing widespread severe flooding, evacuations – more than 2,000 people had to leave their homes in York - power cuts and significant damage to homes, businesses and vital infrastructure such as roads and bridges.

There was little time to react and, with the floods striking at Christmas, people had no hope of getting sandbags or other flood mitigation devices at such short notice and during a holiday period.

One flood victim told the media at the time: “There are no more sandbags anywhere. People are panicking. That’s my business and my home, it’s a double whammy.”

The advice from the Environment Agency is clear that people are responsible for protecting their own homes and businesses from flooding. Local councils have no responsibility to do so and it’s a myth to think they will provide sandbags in an emergency – not that sandbags are particularly effective against flooding anyway.

The Environment Agency states: “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.”

The best option is for people to have packs of FloodSax alternative sandbags stored in their homes and businesses, especially as they are space-saving to store and quick and easy to deploy. Unlike sandbags and any other makes of sandless sandbags, FloodSax can be used both indoors and outside.

In their dry state FloodSax are super-absorbent yet thin with a large surface area so are highly effective at soaking up water inside homes and businesses, especially if it’s dripping in through leaky roofs or windows or in hard-to-reach places such as beneath pipes, radiators, sinks, boilers and refrigeration units.

This prevents water from spreading and causing severe damage to floors, electrics, plasterboard and furniture, along with fixtures and fittings which will cost tens of thousands of pounds to replace along with all the misery and trauma it causes.

To transform FloodSax into instant sandless sandbags simply fully immerse them in water. The FloodSax’s gelling polymer absorbs around 20 litres in about 5 minutes and retains it, transforming the FloodSax from as light as a pillowcase to more effective than traditional sandbags.

People who are flooded can spend months – often more than a year - having to live elsewhere while their property is dried out and then repaired.

The cost of flooding is also horrendous.

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.

FloodSax were devised by Environmental Defence Systems Ltd based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

Company director Lucy Bailey said: “Preparation is key when it comes to preventing flooding but, unfortunately, many people don’t plan for the risk of flooding until it’s too late even though you’re far more at risk of flooding than fire or any other natural disaster.

“More than 6 millions homes are deemed to be vulnerable of flooding in the UK but it makes you wonder how many have anti-flooding protection.

“Even an escape of water from a leaking pipe or toilet can quickly cause sufficient damage to bring a ceiling down yet a single FloodSax popped beneath the leak can soak up the water until you can get an emergency plumber there or sort the problem yourself.

“The cost of having FloodSax is incredibly low considering the enormous amount of damage they can prevent from flooding or escapes of water.”

To buy FloodSax go to https://www.floodsax.co.uk/buy/uk-suppliers/