I built a flood wall around my £600,000 property and these are my tips to protect homes from flooding

Dramatic aerial footage (click to play above) shows how a detached house was circled by rising flood water after the River Severn burst its banks earlier this year. Nick Upton, 60, won the admiration of his neighbours when he kept his 17th century property safe by surrounding it with a wall and pumps last winter.

Mr Upton explains, in the aspirational video, how he built his own flood defences to protect his £600,000 home, as he shares tips on how to "stop the tide".

Home flooded 11 times

Nick and his wife Annie, 50, bought the house in Pixham, Worcs., in 2016. Despite commanding stunning views of the River Severn, the house and gardens have flooded 11 times in just eight years. Much of Britain has already suffered flooding after parts of the country experienced the wettest September on record.

Nick, a retired mechanical engineer, decided to take action last summer to avoid the couple’s beloved home being deluged again. He constructed a reinforced wall around the 340ft (103m) perimeter of the garden. It was built 4.5ft in height – 30cm higher than the highest previous flood which reached 4ft.

Protection when river bank bursts

Nick and Annie started building the wall last May, while also installing dam boards on the front and back doors as extra protection. Since its construction, the wall has successfully withstood three floods and has been instrumental in protecting the house structure.

Nick said: "When flooding occurs, we now have a dry layer of land between the house and the wall giving us peace of mind. We had three three years with no floods, but then in late 2019 we experienced our first flood and it hasn’t really stopped since.

Expert flooding advice for homeowners

Following their successful DIY-flood defence last year, Nick has written an e-book offering tips to homeowners concerned about a winter deluge. His advice includes simple tips from putting air source pumps above the water line and having power sockets fitted higher up walls.

Nick also offers advice on protecting property while complying with sometimes rigid planning regulations. He said: “It is important that your neighbours are not negatively affected by your wall, either visually or by flood water being diverted.

“We live in the middle of a flood plain and our nearest neighbour is over 50 metres away so there were no objections. Due to the height of the wall being less than 2m and the river being 100m away, Nick and Annie did not need to obtain planning permission.”

The Great Wall of Pixham can be downloaded from the floodmary.com website.

Tips to flood-proof your home

1.Keep white goods on raised plinths to avoid the risk of water damage

2.Non-return valve in sewer pipe to avoid toilet waste being pumped back into the property.

3.Electrical sockets on the ground floor raised a few feet

4.Sump/pump to remove water from the property quickly and easily

5.Have self-closing air vents on the ground floor as it's one of the easiest ways water enters a home

6.A Kitemarked flood door to help seal the entrance

7.Kitchen units raised on plinths and made from either metal or marine ply

8.All sentimental, important items and documents kept upstairs and high value items kept on high shelves.

9.Separate electrical circuits for upper and lower floors to avoid shorts

10.Flood barriers on the outside of the property