Replica home submerged to test flood protection products

A new facility with a replica living room inside a massive water tank will test products that aim to protect homes against flooding, the Environment Agency said today.

The simulator at a site in Oxfordshire aims to test flood protection products so they can be awarded with a Kitemark symbol to show they meet new industry standards.

The replica building will be fitted with different designs of flood products such as door gates or air brick covers to see how effective they are at keeping water out of the home.

To test them, the tank - which is about half the size of a football pitch - is inundated with thousands of gallons of water to simulate a severe flood.

The testing facility aims to ensure that new products entering the market are robust and effective in the face of flood waters.

The Environment Agency wants local authorities which spend money from the Environment Department's £5 million grant scheme to protect individual properties from flooding to ensure they install products with the Kitemark.

Robert Runcie, the Environment Agency's director of flood and coastal risk management, said: "The new testing facility and industry standard will help those at risk make informed choices and have confidence in the flood products they buy, as well as encouraging new product development."

He said one in six homes across England and Wales were at risk of flooding, and the number was likely to rise with climate change.

"We want to encourage individuals and businesses to help themselves by making their property more resistant to flooding."

The flood product testing centre is in HR Wallingford's hydraulic laboratory in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.