Beer being soaked up by a FloodSax alternative sandbag The FloodSax full of beer This wall of FloodSax came from just one box (model not included)

Don’t cry over spilt beer … FloodSax alternative sandbags will help dry up both the tears and the ale

Alcohol test shows FloodSax sandless sandbags can soak up far more than just water

It’s a spillage no-one would ever want to contemplate but if it can happen, it will happen. 

We’re talking about a huge spillage of one of life’s most precious commodities – beer – to put FloodSax alternative sandbags to the test to see if they could soak it up. 

It’s enough to make a grown man cry but just over 20 pints of the golden nectar (that’s still beer by the way) was spilled into a 30-litre plastic container to see if the FloodSax will absorb it. 

FloodSax resemble large pillowcases until they come into contact with water. The semi-porous inner liner within FloodSax contains a special gelling polymer with hundreds of absorbent crystals which absorb up to 20 litres of water … or most other liquids. This causes them to expand until they resemble a traditional sandbag but they can also be used in homes and businesses to soak up leaks, especially in hard-to-reach places such as beneath leaking beer barrels. 

The beer test was to see if FloodSax would absorb and retain an alcoholic drink and not drip when picked up. 

The beer used was called Proper Job from the St Austell brewery – well, if a job like this is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. 

The beer was poured into the container (mixed a little bit with human tears from those doing such an emotionally painful task) and then the FloodSax was pushed into it. The FloodSax took nine minutes to absorb all the beer – with water it’s about half that time – but it retained all 12 litres with no leakage. 

FloodSax managing director Richard Bailey said: “It proves that FloodSax can soak up far more than just water. Once the liquid is in a FloodSax it stays in a FloodSax which means even the hardiest of beer drinkers couldn’t wring the FloodSax out to try to retrieve their favourite tipple.” 

FloodSax are widely used by local councils, flood action groups, homeowners and businesses as effective flood barriers to stop floodwater getting into homes and commercial properties.

Some councils recommend FloodSax (www.floodsax.co.uk) alternative sandbags for flood protection which are a flexible alternative to traditional sandbags and are space-saving to store and quick and easy to deploy.

More than 2.5 million have now been sold worldwide.

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