The Association of British Insurers has highlighted the wide range of techniques and products available which can help keep water out of buildings, reduce damage and make future repairs quicker and easier.

It noted that Defra is soon due to set out more details of Government funding which is being made available for this work via local authorities.

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The most appropriate resistance and resilience measures to use will depend on the type of flooding you are most at risk from and the nature or construction of your property. A professional survey can help determine what the most appropriate measures might be and can identify the best options for having any work carried out by a suitably qualified professional.

James Dalton, director of General Insurance Policy at the ABI, said: “There is an important opportunity here for people to think about whether there are things that could be done to reduce the damage if they are unfortunate enough to be flooded again and Government funding is available to assist.

“Being flooded is always traumatic – but knowing that you’ve taken steps to reduce the risk of damage and make the repair process easier should disaster strike again could help in future. There’s an increasing range of measures available to think about which could make a difference. Insurers and their teams can help discuss your options and point to where you may be able to get more specialist advice.”

What can you do?

Flood resistant measures keep water out of properties; flood resilient measures focus on mitigating damage where water does get in. Some common measures include:

• Using water resistant plaster
• Moving electrical sockets, meters and boilers higher
• Installing water-resistant doors and window-frames, or investing in flood gates
• Installing doors and other fittings which can be easily removed and taken out of harm’s way
• Replacing chipboard kitchen and bathroom units with plastic or steel equivalents
• “Tanking” rooms, which means waterproofing them with a special membrane
• Replacing timber floors with a water-proof membrane to prevent water penetrating
• Investing in covers for air bricks, vents and other gaps
• Purchasing free-standing pumps to remove water as quickly as possible
• Installing one-way valves on drainage pipes and seals on toilets to prevent sewage backing up into the property.

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