Council Bags Innovative Flood Defences

Innovative self-inflating sandbags designed to seal doors and protect homes during a flood, are being offered to Leicestershire householders.

The County Council is one of the first in the country to make the sand-less, gel-filled devices available to residents.

The ‘Doorpacs’ expand by absorbing flood water and create a barrier to prevent water entering properties through the doorway. They consist of one longer sack that fits along the bottom of the door, plus four other larger bags which stack on top and seal the entrance.

The County Council is rolling them out across priority areas and currently has 400 which people can buy for £30 - this represents a 25% reduction on the retail price.

Flooding is one of the highest risks to local communities in Leicestershire, and the increasing threat of climate change means that extreme weather is happening more frequently.

In Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, there are approximately 13,000 households at risk from flooding, mainly in Loughborough and Leicester.

The County Council has been able to buy the sandbags after securing a one-off grant from the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Fund. The money received from the sale of the Doorpacs will be used to purchase more, enabling us to make this offer to more households.

Prof Mike Preston, County Council cabinet member for climate action, said: "Recent events in Cornwall highlight the fact that flooding has become more common in the UK over the past few years, as well as how distressing and expensive it is for homeowners.

"Ultimately, we want to protect residents and I hope people will take the opportunity to buy these innovative sandbags to protect their homes.

"Fortunately big floods do not happen very often in Leicestershire but the County Council is determined to better understand the risk posed by floods and how councils, partner organisations, local communities and individuals can manage these issues."

Anyone wanting to purchase a DoorPac should contact their parish council in the first instance, or the County Council on 0116 305 6101.

To prepare for flooding, the County Council is:

·carrying out a countywide assessment to better understand the flood risk across Leicestershire.
·leading studies to identify areas of Loughborough which need to be considered for further measures
to improve flood risk management.the County Council has also:·bought 10,000 new-style sandbags which self-inflate by absorbing flood water to protect homes and businesses

The County Council has also:

created a network of over 100 specially-trained community wardens across Leicestershire who, in the event of a flood, would make sure that people receive warnings and know where to go for help. They also help communities to people prepare for floods, identify vulnerable people and report blocked drains and ditches.
·invested £1M in improvements to highway drains systems to reduce the risk of flooding including at Blackfordby, Syston under the railway bridge and in Market Harborough working with Anglian Water.
·established a Flood Risk Management Board to ensure a co-ordinated approach with District Councils, Severn Trent and Anglian Water companies, the Environment Agency and also Leicester City and Rutland County Council.

Picture of the new sand bags

Councils, emergency services and other public bodies work together to prepare for emergencies as part of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Resilience Forum.

Leicestershire's emergency response organisations have been working to develop multi-agency flood plans which have now been approved by the forum.

Funding from the Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Improvement and Efficiency Programme (RIEP) has been used to pay for the new-style sandbags and an officer to co-ordinate the community flood wardens.

For more information on Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Resilience Forum, please visit www.localresilienceforum.org.uk .