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DOORS & COMMERCIAL ENTRANCES
Holding back the ood
In light of the Met Oce’s new climate change predictions, Kevin Kiernan, national sales
manager at Bowater by Birtley, looks at why contractors and speci ers should consider the
installation of ood defence doors on more properties as a solution to an increased risk of
www.ggpmag.com January 2019
According to a report
released by the Met Office
in November, Britain
will experience much
wetter winters and summers as a
result of climate change. The UK
Climate Projections 2018 illustrates
a range of future scenarios until
2100 – showing increasing summer
temperatures, extreme weather and
rising sea levels.
Environment Secretary, Michael
Gove, responded to the report by
echoing the prediction that flooding
was one of the key ways in which
changes would become manifest in
the UK with our wettest days seeing
an average increase in rainfall by
17%.
Although a record £2.6 billion has
been invested in flood defences since
2010, according to the Government’s
own figures, nearly 2 million
properties in floodplains along
rivers, estuaries and coasts in the UK
are still potentially at risk of river
or coastal flooding. Furthermore,
80,000 properties in towns and
cities are at risk of flooding from
ooding in the UK.
heavy downpours that overwhelm
urban drains.
Prevention is better
than the cure
It seems obvious, but flood water not
only destroys possessions, but causes
serious damage to the property if
left to stand. The duration of the
flood and the height of the water
can determine how much damage it
creates.
Installers, therefore, need to
consider how they can reassure
homeowners and developers that
their properties can best withstand
the threat of floods to keep the
building, its residents and their
belongings safe.
The main entrance door is often
the largest ground level opening
into a home, and we have all seen
countless images of floods, with
sandbags piled high over thresholds
to try and prevent the water entering
a property.
Unfortunately, you can never
eliminate the risk of flooding
entirely, but you can reduce the
likelihood of water getting in with a
flood door. This is one of the most
effective forms of flood defence and
the doors are now regularly fitted
in properties at risk. Their great
benefit is that they are a permanent
and discreet solution that requires
no intervention by the occupier, yet
can prevent water from entering a
property up to 600mm high.
When specifying or installing a
flood defence door it is vital that it
has been tested to PAS 1188-1:2014,
the UK standard for flood protection
products. Bowater by Birtley is one
of a handful of companies in the
UK that can offer a fully certified
flood door tested to this standard.
Flood Shield by Bowater is a double
rebated 68mm composite door that
doesn’t compromise on style or
security. The door comes complete
with a watertight frame and robust
16-point locking system and is
available in a variety of styles and
colours.
In fact, our Flood Shield door is
aesthetically indistinguishable from
our standard composite door range,
making it an attractive choice with
housebuilders and potential buyers
both in the resale markets and the
new build sectors, as there is no loss
of kerb appeal once it is installed.
Flood doors are a cost-effective,
tried and trusted method of
protecting a property from flooding
and the damage it creates and will
therefore help installers to support
homeowners and developers in
future-proofing their properties.
With the risk of flooding set to
increase, it is becoming a growing
concern for many homeowners
and developers in the UK and
can be potentially devastating for
those affected, not only in terms of
damage to the building but the risk
to life.
With Bowater by Birtley’s Flood
Shield doors, which have been
assessed on their product design,
quality and manufacturing,
installers can offer their customers
peace of mind that they are investing
in a door that offers strong defence
against rising waters and meets
PAS1188 certification.
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