Sandbags

Advice and guidance on sandbags and how to use them during a flooding incident.

We maintain a small stock of sandbags which can be used in flooding incidents to support emergency services, protect critical infrastructure and offer prioritised support to vulnerable people in areas worst affected.

However, we are unable to provide sandbags to individual properties, members of the public or businesses, as this would not be an efficient or effective use of deployment resources during the course of a flood.

Property owners should source their own stock of sandbags for use in an emergency if they are concerned about flood risk to their property. Sandbags and sandbag alternatives are available from local builders’ merchants. It should be noted that sandbags are not watertight, so should be used to divert flood water rather than stop it outright.

Sandbag storage

Sandbags or their alternatives should be stored in a dry and easily accessible area within your property. They should also be stored off the ground so they don’t absorb moisture, as this would limit their effectiveness in the event of a flood.