A major UK council has warned that traditional sandbags can fall apart not long after they’re filled with sand.

Edinburgh City Council made some sandbags available to the public after Scotland was recently deluged by heavy rain even though councils have no responsibility to do this.

But it warned that sandbags don’t last long by stating: “It is best to store hessian sandbags unfilled, in a waterproof area, as the hessian will rot and may only last around four months when filled.”

Trouble is they take time to fill and it can be back-breaking work, not to mention all the sand you’d need to store somewhere.

FloodSax ‘sandless’ sandbags avoid the need for any of this and have a shelf life of at least 5 years. They are space-saving to store and easy to deploy. It means you have peace of mind and are ready for action 24/7 to prevent a flood.

Once FloodSax come into contact with water they inflate to weigh 20kg (44lbs) which makes them more effective than traditional sandbags at keeping floodwater out.

More than 2.5 million have now been sold worldwide.