"Britain braced for more flooding."

A common headline these days. The Tewkesbury floods in the summer of 2007 hit the front page of nearly every newspaper. It was a shocking vision, with a bird's eye view of seemingly just a small part of the town sitting proud of the water. Now it seems a common event through both the summer and winters. Rivers have burst their banks on several occasions already this winter and the recent snowfalls of January and February have caused concerns of the excess water runoff from the thaw that follows.

Of course it is not a new event, floods have always affected us. As more houses are built on floodplains and other areas susceptible to flooding the problem will only get worse.

With the amount of water already in the ground so high, it doesn't take a large amount of rain for flooding to start; in 2012 alone billions of gallons of rainwater fell on already saturated land in a matter of hours causing devastation for some.

Sandbags have been the 'portable' floodwater barrier for over 100 years. But their drawbacks are striking. Sandbags are heavy, are difficult to dispose of, they leak and can trap harmful bacteria and toxins as water filters through them.

Telford based medical equipment supplier SP Services are championing HydroSack and HydroSnake as the ideal solution to a critical problem. HydroSack and HydroSnake are the new, modern method to create a highly effective barrier to the threat of flood water in emergency situations and domestic & commercial properties. It is the perfect replacement for the old, traditional sandbag, which is less effective, difficult to handle, labour intensive and a potential health hazard.

Before use, each HydroSack or HydroSnake weighs less than 1kg and each pack contains the equivalent of 6 Sandbags and when soaked with water before installation, each HydroSack or HydroSnake can absorb up to 20 litres of water. HydroSack contains a super absorbent polymer which expands to hold up to 40 times its own weight - letting the water in but refusing to let the water out. When built into layers, a wall built from either HydroSack, HydroSnake or a combination of both produces a highly effective barrier to flood water. Combined together HydroSack and HydroSnake can provide effective damming of large areas.

Flooding is a problem that won't go away, but with the right planning and preparation anyone can minimise the damage to their property, or damage to critical areas.

For more information on HydroSack and HydroSnake contact SP Services friendly customer services helpline on 01952 288 999 or visit our web site at www.spservices.co.uk/hydrosack.