We were quietly proud when we spotted it. The cover of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs’ (Defra) Property Flood Resilience Evidence Synthesis and Gap Analysis, a major piece of government research published in December 2025, features our photo and one of our flood barriers. It wasn’t something we arranged or paid for. It’s simply what proper flood protection looks like in practice, and we think that says something worth talking about.
The phone used relates to a case study we featured where our Nautilus Flood Barrier saved a Nottinghamshire home from flooding.
So let’s talk about what that report actually means for homeowners, businesses, and communities across the UK, and what it means for how we approach flood protection at Flood Protection Solutions.
What the Defra Report Found
The Defra-commissioned report, produced by Eunomia Research and Consulting, was a significant effort to pull together everything we know about Property Flood Resilience (PFR) in England and Wales. Its conclusions were clear: flood risk is growing, driven by climate change and continued development in flood-prone areas, and the uptake of property-level protection measures has been slower than it should be.
The report defines PFR through two categories of measure. First, resistance measures: things that physically keep water out, including flood barriers, flood doors, air brick covers, non-return valves, and waterproof render. Second, recoverability measures: things that minimise damage if water does get in, such as tiled floors, raised electrical sockets, and waterproof plaster.
Crucially, the report emphasises that these approaches work best in combination. A flood barrier on its own is a strong first line of defence. But paired with recoverability measures, and supported by a genuine understanding of your site’s specific risk, it becomes part of a genuinely resilient strategy.
That is exactly the philosophy we have always worked to.
A Flood Barrier Is Not the Whole Answer, But It’s an Essential Part of It
At Flood Protection Solutions, we supply flood barriers for residential and commercial properties across the UK. We are proud of that. A modern flood barrier, properly specified and deployed, is a vastly superior option to sandbags: faster to deploy, more effective, reusable, and capable of holding back serious water levels. If you are at flood risk and relying on sandbags, please don’t.
But we also know that a barrier on its own is rarely the complete picture. Water is persistent. It finds airbricks, it seeps through old repointing, it comes up through drains. That is why we take a holistic view.
For many properties, pairing a flood barrier with a specialist water pump is the sensible approach. If water does breach or accumulate, you need the means to remove it quickly. Our sister site Flood and Water Pumps exists precisely for this reason, matching the right pump to your property and risk level.
Equally, evidence-based structural measures matter. Repointing with a waterproof additive, for instance, can significantly reduce water ingress through masonry on properties that face that particular vulnerability. These aren’t glamorous interventions, but they are effective, and they are the kind of thing that the Defra report identifies as core to a genuinely resilient property.
Know Your Flood Risk
One thing the Defra report is honest about is that the evidence base around which measures suit which properties is still developing. Not every home needs the same solution. The depth of water a property faces, how quickly it rises, whether it comes from a river, surface water or groundwater: all of these shape what will actually protect you.
This is where our sister company FPS Environmental plays a vital role. Led by qualified engineers, FPS Environmental undertakes proper flood risk assessments. Not guesswork, not a quick look at the Environment Agency map, but detailed, site-specific analysis. For more complex situations, they also deliver Flood Investigation and Management Strategies, which are the kind of rigorous, evidence-led studies that inform real decisions for councils, developers, and property owners facing significant risk.
We believe strongly that for anyone with a serious flood risk, starting with a proper assessment is money extremely well spent. It means whatever physical measures you then invest in are the right ones for your situation.
Equipment Should Be Accessible
One frustration we share with the findings in the Defra report is that uptake of flood resilience measures remains lower than it should be. Part of that is awareness: many people simply don’t know what is available, or assume that meaningful flood protection is complicated or expensive. Part of it is access: knowing where to go and what to trust.
We set up Flood Protection Solutions to address that. We want flood barriers and associated equipment to be readily available, clearly explained, and delivered to people who need them across the country, whether residential or commercial, urban or rural. You shouldn’t need to be a large developer or a local authority to access equipment that genuinely protects your home or business.
If you are in a flood risk area, we would encourage you to start the conversation now, not when a flood warning is issued and stock is under pressure. The time to think about flood protection is before you need it.
The Bigger Picture
The Defra report points to a future in which flood resilience is increasingly integrated into building regulations, planning guidance, and insurance frameworks. That is welcome. But the regulatory and policy landscape moves slowly. Meanwhile, flooding doesn’t wait.
The combination of accessible, high-quality equipment, specialist water management, evidence-based structural improvements, and professional risk assessment is available right now. That is what Flood Protection Solutions and our associated companies offer: a joined-up approach to keeping properties safer, backed by expertise and a genuine commitment to getting it right.
We’re proud to be on the cover of that Defra report. We’re prouder still to be part of the solution.
Browse our flood barriers for residential and commercial properties. Explore specialist pumping solutions. Commission a professional flood risk assessment or flood investigation strategy from FPS Environmental.