Flood Protection

Flood protection equipment

You can install property flood protection if your property is at risk of flooding, or as part of the repair if you have been flooded.

There is a free guide for households and businesses, produced by CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association), following their code of practice C790. It includes information on making your property more flood resilient.

Floodboards

These can be fixed to your doors and windows in preparation for a flood. They should then be removed and stored in an easily accessible place so you can use them again if needed.

Plastic covers to seal airbricks

These can stop flood water coming in through your airbricks.

Sandbags

Your local authority may have some sandbags ready to deploy at times of flooding, but their priority is to protect the public at large. You should check with your local authority in advance to find out what their policy is, and if there is a charge for the service.

If your local authority doesn’t supply sandbags, you can buy your own supply from DIY stores and builder’s merchants.

You can also make home improvements that will make it easier and cheaper to clean up after a flood.

Discuss these with your loss adjuster and builder:

  • lay ceramic tiles on your ground floor and use rugs instead of fitted carpets
  • raise the height of electrical sockets to at least 1.5 metres above the ground floor level
  • use lime plaster instead of gypsum on walls
  • fit stainless steel or plastic kitchens instead of chipboard ones, or have freestanding units you can move
  • position any main parts of a heating or ventilation system, like a boiler, upstairs or raised well above the ground floor
  • fit non-return valves to all drains and water inlet pipes
  • replace wooden window frames and doors with synthetic ones because they are easier to clear

What to do during and after a flood

Find out what to do during and after a flood.

More information and advice

NRW information about how to prepare for a flood is also available to print:

Details of other websites and organisations who can offer help and support: