Integra Property Services are representatives and distributors for the Instant Sandbag range of flood protection products, products that were recently called into service by a very prominent client.

Managing Director Michael Day explains.

“On Tuesday 15^th September, a phone call was received from the BBC's 'Watchdog' programme in London, asking the question 'How instant are your Instant Sandbags?'

We quickly established that the BBC were about to start filming an episode of the famous weekly show with a live studio audience, but the producer had spotted a significant amount of water entering an area which was to form part of a feature during the programme.

During Tuesday the South East of England had seen significant heavy rainfall and the BBC buildings were not immune. This was a classic case of 'flash-flooding' where heavy rainfall was falling onto an area of flat concrete where there was no way for it to run off or drain away.  

Within 10 minutes of the call, we set off fully loaded with Instant Sandbags.  Less than an hour after the initial inquiry we arrived at the BBC where we found a number of BBC employees having to brush the floor continuously to keep the water at bay. 

The next forty minutes were spent constructing an Instant Sandbag defence.

Having fulfilled our 'Instant' promise on a number of levels, we left the scene, satisfied that we had played our part in resolving this mini-crisis and enabling the show to go on as the producer intended.

Some 60 sandbags were used to create an 8 metre long defence which consisted of a “wall” built two bags high.  We initially laid un-inflated sandbags end to end across the line to be defended, in order to absorb any residual leakage under and between bags and we then overlaid this line with inflated sandbags.  To inflate the Instant Sandbags en masse, we submerged them in a nearby water feature within the decorative gardens of the BBC which were just a few metres from the incident. This was exactly as in a domestic scenario, where you would use any water available; be it pond, water butt, bath, kitchen sink or flood-water already on the scene.

In this case the water used was definitely not 'clean' and it was also extremely cold but the system worked perfectly. The Instant Sandbag wall was quick and easy to erect and the BBC staff were amazed at the technology.  There really is nothing quite like a live situation to evaluate a product and I am delighted to report that this experience only re-enforced my belief that the Instant Sandbag is a very real, practical and effective, modern alternative to a traditional sand-filled sandbag

The Watchdog Production Coordinator at the BBC thanked Instant Sandbags for 'saving the day' and commented that they 'certainly lived up to their name'.”