Flooding returned to the headlines this week, with homes and businesses across parts of the West Midlands affected after intense thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.
In Birmingham, some of the most serious flooding was around Perry Brook in Perry Barr. Birmingham City Council subsequently confirmed that 55 properties experienced internal flooding, with water reaching up to one metre in the worst affected homes. The council said Perry Brook had broken its banks during the extreme weather.
For the people affected, the cause is only one part of the story. Once water has entered a home, the consequences can mean damaged belongings, contaminated finishes, weeks of drying and repair and, for some people, the worry of whether it will happen again.
We spend much of our working lives around flooding, water management and pumps. So rather than simply sharing the pictures, there are some useful lessons in what happened this week, particularly for anyone who already knows that their home or business is at risk of flooding.
What happened in Birmingham?
Heavy rainfall affected the West Midlands on Wednesday 26 August, with the Environment Agency issuing a flood warning for Perry Brook at Perry Barr. Fire crews attended significant flooding around Curbar Road, Thornbridge Avenue, Grindleford Road and Haddon Road.
By the following day, Birmingham City Council reported 55 properties with internal flooding. Some residents described water arriving very quickly, which is one of the difficulties with intense summer storms: the time between seeing heavy rain and dealing with a genuine flood can be remarkably short.
The council has been clear about the immediate mechanism in Perry Barr. It says the flooding occurred when Perry Brook broke its banks, rather than attributing the event simply to blocked highway drains.
What does a dry summer have to do with flooding?
There is, however, a wider point about the weather we have experienced this summer.
Much of England has been exceptionally dry. When soils become very dry, hard or compacted they can absorb intense rainfall more slowly. If rain arrives faster than the ground can take it, more water can travel across the surface towards roads, drains, low points and watercourses.
That does not mean that dry ground caused the Perry Barr flooding. We do not have the evidence to make that conclusion, and the council has specifically identified Perry Brook breaking its banks as the cause of the flooding there.
But the general mechanism is well understood. The Government's own drought guidance notes that intense summer downpours can flow rapidly across dry, hard and compacted soils and cause flash flooding.
It creates what can initially seem like a contradiction: you can be in drought and still flood. A few hours of extremely heavy rain can cause a serious local flood without coming close to replenishing the wider deficit in reservoirs, groundwater and rivers.
The practical lesson is preparedness
The difficulty with flooding is that the equipment you need when water starts arriving generally needs to be there already.
Government flood guidance recommends preparing a personal flood plan, signing up for relevant flood warnings and keeping essential items somewhere accessible. A flood grab bag is a sensible part of that preparation, with items such as medication, insurance information, important documents, a torch, portable charger, waterproof clothing and other essentials you may need if you have to leave quickly.
There is another side to preparedness as well: the equipment you may need to manage water at the property.
Depending on how a property floods, that might include flood barriers or doors, automatic air bricks, non-return valves and, importantly, a suitable water pump.
What does a flood pump actually do?
A water pump is sometimes described as flood protection, but that is slightly too simplistic.
A pump does not stop the flood arriving. Its job is to manage water once there is somewhere for that water to collect.
In practice, a flood pump can be extremely useful for several different jobs:
- Removing water entering a garage, cellar or ground-floor room, where there is a safe place to discharge it.
- Keeping water levels low behind a flood barrier or doorway defence, removing rainfall, seepage or other water accumulating on the nominally dry side.
- Managing water collecting at a low point, such as basement steps, a lightwell, plant room or cellar.
- Clearing shallow water after a flood, particularly with a puddle pump that can remove water down to the last few millimetres.
This is why pumps regularly form part of wider Property Flood Resilience schemes. A barrier deals with one route for water entering. A pump deals with water that still reaches the protected side.
We have written more about this in our guide to why flood barriers still need water pumps.
The important qualification is that the pump must suit the water, the required flow, the lift and the discharge route. A small clean-water pump is not a sewage pump, and no portable pump should encourage someone to enter floodwater where electrical, contamination or moving-water hazards exist.
Why we have created complete flood pump kits
There is a very practical problem with buying a water pump during an emergency: the pump is only one part of the setup.
You also need to get the water from the pump to somewhere it can safely discharge.
That means having the right hose diameter, enough hose length, the correct hose tail or adaptor and, in some applications, a non-return valve so that water sitting in the hose does not simply run back through the pump when it stops.
Hose selection matters more than people often expect. A narrow garden hose can dramatically restrict the flow from a pump designed for a larger outlet. Layflat hose is excellent for long runs but can kink around tight corners and steps. Reinforced suction and delivery hose holds its shape better where the route is awkward.
None of that is particularly complicated when you know what you are looking at. It is considerably less convenient when there is water coming through the door.
That is why we created our FPS Engineered™ pump kits.
Rather than simply putting a pump in a box with some accessories, we start with the application and match the pump, hose, fittings and connections around what the kit actually needs to do.
You can browse the complete range of FPS Engineered flood pump kits here.
Is a flood pump kit better than buying a pump on its own?
If you already own suitable hose and fittings, buying a pump on its own may be all you need.
If you are starting from scratch, particularly for emergency flood response, a complete pump kit is often the simpler way to buy. The pump, hose and connections have already been matched, so you are not trying to establish thread sizes, hose diameters and compatible fittings separately.
For us, that is the main advantage of a kit. You are buying the pumping setup rather than just the pump.
Manual or automatic flood pump?
One of the next decisions is whether the pump should be manual or automatic.
A manual flood pump is normally the simplest and least expensive option. Despite the name, you are not operating it by hand. You place the pump in the water, plug it in and switch it off once the water has been removed.
Manual puddle pumps are particularly useful for emergency response and clean-up because they can often pump down to extremely low levels. The limitation is straightforward: somebody needs to be there to operate them.
An automatic flood pump uses a float switch or electronic sensor to detect water and start and stop automatically. That makes more sense where water may arrive overnight, while a property is empty, or where the pump is intended as standby provision in a cellar, basement or plant room.
Neither is universally better. The right answer depends on what you need the pump to do.
Which flood pump kit is best for a home?
For most domestic flood preparedness, we would start with one of two approaches.
A straightforward kit to keep ready for a garage, utility room, conservatory, cellar or other area where shallow flood water may need removing.
The Stream SPP2-4 is a compact puddle pump with a maximum flow of 70 litres per minute and a maximum head of 6 metres. Importantly for flood clean-up, it can remove water down to approximately 2mm.
The kit includes the pump with reinforced 25mm suction and delivery hose and the fittings required to connect it. It is manual, so it is intended for attended use.
The alternative where you need the pump to respond automatically rather than waiting for somebody to switch it on.
It is intended for applications such as cellars, basements and other low points where water can arrive while nobody is watching. Automatic control detects the water and allows the pump to start and stop as levels rise and fall.
This is the more appropriate approach where the requirement is standby flood pumping rather than attended clean-up.
What about larger floods, businesses and plant rooms?
A small domestic pump is not the right answer for every application.
Where the required flow or pumping head is greater, or where the pump needs to be more robust, we would step up to a heavier-duty unit.
For commercial premises, plant rooms, larger basements and more demanding flood-response applications.
The SPK530 platform provides substantially greater capacity than the small domestic SPP2, with a maximum flow of around 170 litres per minute and maximum head of 11 metres. It is also designed to remove water to very low levels.
The automatic arrangement is intended for locations where water needs to be managed without relying on someone being present every time it arrives.
Should every home in a flood-risk area have a water pump?
We would put it slightly differently.
If your property is at known flood risk, a suitable flood pump kit is one of the practical pieces of equipment worth considering as part of your flood plan.
Whether a portable pump is appropriate depends on how your property is expected to flood, where the water collects, whether there is a safe discharge route and what type of water may need to be pumped.
For a property vulnerable to shallow water entering through a doorway, accumulating behind a barrier or collecting in a garage or cellar, a portable puddle pump can be extremely useful.
For a repeatedly flooding basement, groundwater problem or property where water needs to be managed automatically for extended periods, the better answer may be a permanent sump and pumping system rather than a portable emergency pump.
That is an important distinction. The aim should be to understand the problem and select the equipment around it, rather than simply buying the biggest pump available.
A pump is part of the answer, not the whole answer
The Birmingham flooding this week is another reminder that flood risk cannot be switched off.
At property level, resilience generally comes from several measures working together: understanding the risk, receiving warnings where available, having a flood plan, reducing routes for water to enter and managing the water that still gets through.
Flood barriers, flood doors, automatic air bricks and non-return valves can all have a role. So can resilient internal finishes that allow a property to recover more quickly after flooding.
And a water pump has a particular job within that system: move water from somewhere you do not want it to somewhere it can safely drain away.
It is a simple principle, but during a flood it can make an enormous practical difference.
If you know your property is at risk, the time to work out which pump, hose and fittings you need is before the next warning arrives.
You can check the long-term flood risk for an area in England using the Government's long-term flood risk service, or browse our complete flood and water pump kits.
Frequently asked questions about flood pumps
What is the best type of water pump for flooding?
For shallow flood water on a floor, a puddle pump is often the best starting point because it is designed to operate at very low water levels. For deeper or dirtier water, a conventional drainage or solids-handling pump may be more appropriate. The correct pump depends on the water, required flow, pumping height and discharge distance.
What is the best way to buy a flood pump?
If you do not already own suitable hose and fittings, buying a complete flood pump kit is often the simplest option. A matched kit combines the pump with appropriately sized hose and compatible fittings, reducing the risk of discovering during a flood that a component is missing or incompatible.
Can a water pump stop a house flooding?
A pump does not stop floodwater reaching a property. It removes water after it has entered or accumulated in a protected area. Pumps are therefore commonly used alongside measures such as flood barriers, doors, non-return valves and other Property Flood Resilience measures.
Can I use a pump behind a flood barrier?
Yes. A puddle pump can be particularly useful on the dry side of a flood barrier to remove seepage, rainfall or other water accumulating behind the defence. The discharge needs to be routed somewhere safe where it will not simply return to the property.
Is an automatic flood pump better than a manual one?
Automatic pumps are better where the pump may need to operate when nobody is present. Manual puddle pumps tend to be simpler and can often clear water to a lower residual level, making them excellent for attended emergency pumping and flood clean-up.
Where should flood water be pumped?
Water should be discharged to a safe location where it can drain away without returning to the property, worsening flooding elsewhere or affecting neighbouring land. A drain that is already surcharging during a flood may not provide a suitable discharge point.
What should I keep ready if my home is at flood risk?
Start with a personal flood plan, relevant flood warnings and a grab bag containing essentials such as medication, important documents, a torch, charger and suitable clothing. Depending on the property, practical equipment may also include flood barriers, air brick protection, non-return valves and a suitable flood pump kit.
Sources and further reading
This article was written following the flooding of 26 and 27 August 2026. Reporting and further guidance can be found at:
- BBC News: West Midlands flooding live coverage
- BBC News: flooding clean-up and further storms
- ITV News Central: Birmingham flooding
- The Guardian: storms and flooding following the heatwaves
- GOV.UK: Prepare for flooding
This article provides general information about flood preparedness and water pumps. Flood mechanisms and appropriate protection measures vary between properties. Never enter floodwater where there may be electrical, contamination, structural or moving-water hazards, and follow instructions from the emergency services and relevant authorities during an active flood.
