This box of 20 FloodSax is enough to protect the average-sized family home from flooding These FloodSax prevented serious flood damage inside a cottage Many supermarkets now rely on FloodSax for health and safety FloodSax make robust anti-flood barriers to protect homes and businesses

The most cost-effective way to stop the horrendous damage just 2 inches of flooding can wreak on your home or business

Just two inches of floodwater getting into your home or business can rack up tens of thousands of pounds damage in minutes.

Thousands of UK homes have already been flooded this autumn and with winter rains and floods just around the corner it’s vital home and business owners take urgent action now to protect themselves from flooding.

The trouble is people leave it far too late and only try to get flood protection when flooding is imminent which usually ends in disaster.

Many people don’t realise that local authorities have absolutely no obligation to provide sandbags or any other kind of flood resilience.

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.”

One of the most popular products in the UK are FloodSax alternative sandbags which are now recommended by many local councils

It’s down to everyone to be responsible for their own flood protection, but just two inches of water getting in can cause catastrophic damage, including ruining floors and carpets, wrecking skirting boards and plaster on walls, destroying electrics and damaging appliances such as washing machines, fridges, freezers, dishwashers and tumble dryers.

Flooding will also make the place uninhabitable while the costly repairs are carried out … and then there’s all the hassle of trying to find reputable tradespeople to carry out the work. People are usually forced out of their homes for many months, causing immense strain, anxiety and stress.

Yet all this can be avoided as FloodSax can easily keep two inches of floodwater at bay.

They cost just £140 for a box of 20 which are enough to keep water out of the average-sized home in the UK.

FloodSax are vacuum-packed in boxes of 20 which one person can easily carry and are space-saving to store and very easy to deploy.

Immerse them fully in water and the gelling polymer inside the FloodSax absorbs and retains the water to become instant sandbags but without any sand in them. They are a uniform shape and size so can quickly be built into highly effective flood barriers to keep water out of homes and businesses or divert it down nearby drains.

In their dry state FloodSax are very flat with a large absorbent surface area so are ideal at soaking up leaks, drips, spills and internal floods, often in hard-to-reach places such as beneath boilers, underneath sinks or below water pipes. Many supermarkets, hospitals, councils and flood action groups now use them as they are so versatile and multi-purpose.

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

Lucy Bailey from the company said: “With sandbags you get just that, a sandbag, which are notoriously bad at keeping water out and can quickly deteriorate and fall apart when they come into contact with floodwater.

“They are a poor one-dimensional flood product whereas we regard FloodSax as a five-dimensional product as it stops or soaks up floodwater both inside and out and can be used in dozens of ways. In terms of value for money, FloodSax are miles ahead of sandbags.

“We also know from experience that when people try to get hold of sandbags in an emergency, either from their local councils or builders’ merchants, they are often unavailable and the vast majority of councils don’t give them out anyway and, even if they do, often can’t react quickly enough to deal with rapid or flash flooding.”

Lucy added: “FloodSax are vacuum-packed in bags of five so can be easily stored anywhere from garages to under the bed so people are prepared for flooding any time day or night, 365 days a year. It means your worries about being flooded are over.”

To find out more about FloodSax and your nearest stockist go to floodsax.co.uk/buy/uk-suppliers/