Sandbags
We don’t keep large stocks of sandbags for private homes, for several reasons:
- Sandbags have a limited shelf life
- Sandbags don’t offer much protection during floods, and they need to be placed correctly to work.
- Sandbags work best if used before flooding starts. It’s often hard to get them delivered and set up in time to be useful.
Distribution of sandbags
We don’t have to provide sandbags, but we do have a duty of care. So, any sandbags we do have will be used based on clear guidelines:
- The use of sandbags will be to protect (in order of priority):
- life
- critical infrastructure
- buildings
- Emergency services and the council will work together to hand out sandbags.
- Sandbags will be used to protect buildings, not sheds or gardens.
- Sandbags will not be issued directly to the general public.
- Due to the risk of contamination, we will collect and dispose of any sandbags we place.
Responsibility
If you live in an area at risk of flooding, it’s your responsibility to protect your property.
The Environment Agency works hard to warn people about flood risks. We support their approach and encourage you to follow their advice.
You can find tips on how to prepare your home for flooding on the National Flood Forum website.
Staffordshire County Council doesn’t provide flood protection for individual homes. If you live in a flood-risk area, you should have your own plan and supplies ready.
