Funding sought for new flood defence technology

Investment opportunity

Aquastop Ltd has patented a low cost, flood barrier system called Sahara, that it says is easy to install in a variety of terrains, can be easily stored when not in use, requires no planning permission and has no negative visual impact. It is now looking to raise money for the further development and commercialisation of the system, which was developed in conjunction with Liverpool University.

Sahara consists of an inflatable barrier made from neoprene, which is stored in a deflated state underground, in a trench and covered with a hinged cover. When a flood warning is received, the barrier can be inflated in a few minutes by flicking a switch.  Once the flood waters have receded, the system can be deflated and stored again.

Modeling work at Liverpool University has found that such a barrier, with support posts every two metres, can withstand the pressures exerted by water travelling at 5 metres per second. A key feature of the design is that the system can be fully automatic and can be triggered remotely, making it suitable for protecting vital installations such as electricity substations.  

The inventor William Irving said the problem with existing flood defence devices, such as sandbags and other barriers used around doors, is that they rely on the walls of the building to keep water out.  “This can create problems if the system does not make a watertight seal [and] the building allow[s] water ingress, [if] the pressure of the water is too much for the brickwork, or if the bricks and mortar become waterlogged letting water through, which can happen in a few hours.”  

Irving says Aquastop prevents all these problems by keeping flood waters away from the property itself, preventing structural damage.  “A typical Aquastop installation would cost around £10,000, which is about a third of the typical claim for flood damage to a property, and have a life of well over 20 years,” he added.

The company has completed initial research on the invention with the assistance of the University of Liverpool’s id2m centre in the Department of Engineering.  “We think that this could be a really effective way to protect properties,” said Matt Fulton, id2m centre manager, who worked on the concept.  “It is simple, reliable, easy to maintain and quick to deploy, with minimal visual impact when not in use.  

Aquastop is a privately held company and is now seeking investment funding to develop this technology for commercial use.  For further information, please contact William Irving, Aquastop’s managing director on +44 7765 892496 or email [email protected].