As 2025 draws to a close, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on the year gone by and set our sights on the year ahead. At Fernco, this has been a year of meaningful action, practical learning, and renewed commitment to supporting communities in the face of increasing flood risk.

Flooding in the UK is not slowing down. Driven by climate change and a rapidly shifting environment, flood events are becoming more frequent, more intense, and far less predictable. While the government has made strong and much-needed investments in national flood protection, no large-scale solution can fully predict or prevent all flooding. Large-scale infrastructure is vital, but so is household-level resilience. With tightening regulations and rising landlord liability, proactive protection has never been more important. PFR offers cost-effective solutions to safeguard homes, limit repair costs, and prevent long-term losses, including the disruption of tenants needing to be rehomed.

That is why, throughout 2025, we placed a clear focus on the importance of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) – the practical, household-level measures that landlords, builders, and homeowners can take to directly protect their properties. Many people still assume PFR is expensive or difficult to install, which often leaves households unprepared when flooding occurs. This year, we worked hard to challenge those misconceptions and show that PFR is affordable, accessible, and much easier to adopt than most expect.

Some of our wide range includes our non-return and backwater valves designed to stop backflow, anti-flood air bricks and covers that close automatically during flooding, durable one-way flap valves for added drainage protection, and our lightweight Fernco Flood bags – a quicker, cleaner alternative to traditional sandbags. These solutions can significantly reduce the cost of repairing damage, cutting flood damage by up to 70%. With so much to gain, PFR stands out as one of the most practical steps any household can take, making it a key focus of our work throughout the year.

 

 

One of the highlights of 2025 was our proactive, face-to-face engagement with communities and the industry. Our team has been carrying out visits to builders’ merchants across the UK to demonstrate how simple PFR solutions can dramatically improve a building’s resilience, answering questions and assuring both merchants and customers alike that these solutions are easy to install and highly effective in reducing flood risk. These conversations showed just how quickly misconceptions can be corrected when practical advice is shared directly with the people making decisions on the ground.

We also launched our Race Against the Rivers Challenge, covering a combined 2,446 miles – the total length of 25 major UK rivers – through walking, cycling, running, swimming, and more. We worked alongside REACT Disaster Response, a charity supporting communities affected by natural disasters, not only to raise funds but also to highlight the urgency of flood resilience and keep awareness at the forefront.

As we step into 2026, our resolution is clear. We want to turn awareness of flood risk into real, practical action that protects communities and properties across the UK. By working with builders’ merchants, councils, emergency services, community partners and charities, we’re helping ensure the right flood-resilience message reaches every home – before disaster strikes.

Flood risk is no longer limited to historically “at-risk” areas. Recent events show that flash floods and surface-water flooding can hit almost anywhere. According to the latest Environment Agency data, around 6.3 million properties in England are now at risk from rivers, the sea, or surface water. Of these, about 4.6 million face surface-water flood threat, a sharp increase on previous assessments. Without building resilience, this number could rise to 8 million properties by mid-century, putting more homes and communities at risk than ever before.

In 2026, we will continue to educate communities, empower property owners, and promote simple, practical solutions that make a real difference. After seeing so many properties enter 2025 already affected by unexpected flash flooding, let’s take this as a lesson and make a resolution in 2026 to take the right steps and make smart, proactive choices. Our goal is to make flood resilience standard practice and help communities face the future with confidence.