If you live or run a business in an area prone to flooding, it’s your responsibility to protect your property. You can do this by having your own stock of sandbags ready for use. Sandbags can be hessian or polypropylene material and bought from any builders’ merchant.
It is best to store filled sandbags off the ground, away from water, and out of the sun (such as covered and on a pallet). Sandbags can rot if they remain damp or wet and UV light degrades the bag material. These issues can lead to sandbags only being usable for a few months after initial storing.
If you're able to, you should keep a supply of unfilled sandbags and granular material, such as sand or grit. You would fill these at short notice for heavy rain events.
We provide a limited number of filled sandbags for Edinburgh residents. You can collect from the red sheds at our household waste recycling centres:
- Craigmillar HWRC, Old Dalkeith Road, EH16 4TB
- Sighthill HWRC, Bankhead Avenue, EH11 4EA
- Seafield HWRC, Seafield Road, EH6 7LW
Also, at the following locations around the city:
- South Queensferry, red shed at the Waste and Cleansing depot, Burgess Road, EH30 9JA
- Crewe Toll, red shed by The Red Bridge on Ferry Road, EH4 2TU
- Redford Road, green shed by the entrance to Dreghorn Woods, EH13 0AS
- Newcraighall Park and Ride, red shed by the entrance of the park and ride, EH21 8QS
Temporary flood defences
In certain locations we erect temporary barriers and sandbags to protect vulnerable areas during flood alerts. It is vital that you do not remove these. You may be putting your own and other people's lives and properties at risk.
We do not supply or deliver sandbags to individual homes or businesses.