Storm Claudia: A Stark Reminder for Welsh Flood Resilience

A Growing Flood Risk Across Wales

Behind the headlines, the trend is clear. Wales already has around 245,000 properties at risk of flooding from all sources. In February 2020 alone, more than 3,000 properties flooded during just three major storms. These events are no longer exceptional, they are becoming part of a new climatic baseline.

Across England and Wales, the 2023–24 winter was the wettest October–March period in over 250 years. A succession of named storms brought around 20% more rainfall, with 15% higher intensity, than would have been expected without the influence of climate change. The result: more frequent and more severe flooding, especially in vulnerable areas like Wales.

Sackmaker has been proud to supply the majority of participating councils with these purpose-built bags. More than just a supplier, we work closely with local authorities to maintain high stocks, whether that’s for storm planning or emergency response. By prioritising councils with availability, they remain confident in our abilities to fulfil all their sandbag requirements.

How Sackmaker Supports Flood Response

At Sackmaker, we’re working closely with councils, emergency planners and resilience teams across the UK to strengthen flood preparedness, not just during major incidents, but all year round.

We support authorities through a full spectrum of sandbag solutions, tailored to different stages of emergency planning:

Comprehensive Contract Filling & Framework Supply

We work with councils on long-term framework agreements and contract-filled stock, ensuring they have guaranteed access to the volumes they need, when they need them. This removes uncertainty during peak demand and helps authorities meet their statutory resilience obligations with confidence.

Pre-Filled Sandbags Ready for Immediate Use

For rapid deployment during flood alerts, we supply pre-filled sandbags that are stacked, palletised and ready to go. These are ideal for emergency distribution centres, highways teams, and at-risk communities where quick action is essential.

Empty Sandbags for Local Filling

Where authorities prefer to use their own materials or local labour, we provide high-volume empty sandbags, enabling councils to scale up at a moment’s notice and integrate sandbag filling into broader emergency operations.

Multiple Material Options: Hessian & Heavy-Duty Plastic

Different flood situations require different materials, so we maintain large stocks of:

• Traditional hessian sandbags - ideal for environmentally sensitive areas, with natural biodegradation.
  
• Heavy-duty woven plastic sandbags - tough, long-lasting and suitable for extended deployments or high-pressure conditions.

Dedicated Delivery for Urgent Demand

When flood warnings are issued, timing is critical. That’s why we offer dedicated, short-notice delivery, ensuring that sandbags reach council depots, emergency hubs or frontline teams as quickly as possible. Our logistics network is designed for flexibility, so authorities can scale up within hours, not days.