By: Alicia Ward
11 November 2026
New research released by Flood Re during Flood Action Week has found that simple, low-cost tapes can significantly outperform traditional sandbags at stopping floodwater entering homes – challenging one of the most familiar assumptions about how households should protect themselves from flooding.
Tests commissioned by Flood Re and carried out by the University of Hull found that all types of tape studied – flood putty tape, duct tape, aluminium tape, and yellow plastic tape – all outperformed traditional sandbags when applied to the outside of a doorway to protect a standard front door from flooding. Flood putty tape, akin to butyl type tape, was the strongest performer, proving up to 10 times more effective than traditional sandbags under test conditions.
The research was carried out in the University of Hull’s PFRlab, a purpose-built facility developed with support from Flood Re and the Environment Agency. Researchers tested measures to protect doors at flood depths of up to 600mm, with the work focused on replicating the type of low-level flooding experienced in Hull in 2007, when more than 8,600 residential properties and 1,300 businesses were damaged.
High-quality wide duct tape reduced water leakage by 97-98% compared with an unprotected door and provided a particularly strong combination of performance, affordability, durability and ease of installation. Even the lowest-performing tape reduced leakage by 80%, compared to 70% for sandbags. Tape was cheaper, lighter, easier to store and keep ready to hand, and does not disintegrate or rot in the same way as sandbags.
A range of temporary flood barriers produced more mixed results, ranging from full protection to a failure of protection, and depended on the skill of the installer and fit to the doorway.
The tests, undertaken on 6 commonly-used door types, also showed that the direction a front door opens can make a difference. Under the test conditions, a standard outward-opening door reduced leakage by 74% compared with an inward-opening door, even before any additional flood protection was installed. Applying tape to the outside of the door achieved significantly better results than taping the inside.
The Environment Agency estimates that 4.6 million people are at