Just how low can you go?

[meriad]

Just watching the news and they are reporting that people are stealing sandbags or taking loads that are being handed out and selling them on to vulnerable people - anything between £20 and £75 per bag.

Seriously - they need to catch those people and make them work in a chain-gang filling sandbags and cleaning everyone's chemical toilets!

Makes my blood boil - have they no shame??

[Aggers]

To be sure, it does seem that the Devil is taking over mankind.

What has gone wrong ? How can people be so horrible ?

One reason I can think of is that we no longer punish criminals severely enough.

The so-called 'do-gooders' have a lot to answer for.

[Workingman]

Whilst I totally agree about the chain-gang solution I do wonder about the frailty of those who readily fall for these scams.

The gullible are almost as guilty as the scanners in these situations. Why would anyone of sound mind pay £20, or more, for a sandbag? They sometimes deserve what they get.

[Kaz]

It's a vile thing to do Ria

Aggers there is also a great deal of co-operation happening in these flooded areas too, people helping neighbours and strangers alike, Everyone mucking in - even the unlikeliest places helping out, for instance The Guards Polo Club on the Ascot/Egham borders, one of the poshest places you could imagine has thrown open its stables for anyone to stable their horses if they need to, and stuff like that is happening all over. The good does outweigh the bad - looting and profiteering has always been an issue in troubled times - it happened during the war Don't despair of humanity just yet

Frank that's a bit harsh I've been on the Staines. Egham FB page and people are desperate, the army are trying to get round everyone - my ex has had a visit from them with sandbags - but there are still people without, and I've seen some pathetic messages on there from people who are either older or not very mobile, desperate to protect their property......they would be very vulnerable and probably easy prey.....It's organised chaos over there, and not always organised either!

[Workingman]

I may have been a bit harsh Kaz, sorry for that, but this sandbag PR malarkey by politicians, the EA and the media has gone on long enough. They are to blame for creating this hiatus for the scam-merchants to operate in.

Watching the news, reading the papers or listening to the radio people could be forgiven for thinking that a few sandbags can hold back Noah's floods. Sandbags are seen as the universal flood panacea: "Bring in the sandbags and we'll all be saved!"

Nothing could be further from the truth, as this EA leaflet explains: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/files/asset ... ea-doc.pdf
Maybe this is the advice which should have been given prominence and given out in the run up to the floods.

Do sandbags work?
Traditionally, sandbags have been used to block
doorways, drains and other openings into properties as
well as to weigh-down manhole covers, garden furniture
and to block sink, toilet and bath drains to prevent
water backing up.
• They can keep water out for short periods which
can be improved by using them in conjunction with
plastic sheeting.
• They can filter out some muddy sediments found
in flood waters.
• They are cheap and easy to obtain.

However, sandbags are relatively ineffective when
compared to purpose-designed flood protection
products.
Some of the pitfalls are:
• It takes two people to fill them (unless you have
a sandbag filling machine).
• They take time to fill (approximately one hour to
fill 12 sandbags).
• They can be difficult to handle.
• Laying them can be very time-consuming.
• Sacking material is biodegradable and will perish
if left in place for a long time.
• It is difficult to place sandbags in water and
particularly in running water.
• Sandbags do seep water even when well-stacked
and trodden into place.
As a result, we strongly encourage people to use
purpose made flood protection products, such as
flood boards, non-return valves for plumbing and
air brick covers.

Protecting your property
Sandbags are of no use if your property is already
flooded – concentrate your efforts on protecting
yourself, your belongings and moving precious items
out of harms way!
Consider all entry points that water could get through,
not just doorways, such as – airbricks, utility service
points, cable entry points. Use other solutions for entry
points where sandbags won’t work (such as silicone
sealant).
You’ll need at least 6 sandbags to keep out 20cm depth
of water for a standard door opening. Each sandbag will
need approximately 15kg of sand. You should use
sharp, not soft, sand.

I personally think that it is pretty vile to keep selling people the idea that all will be well if they own a sandbag or two.

[Kaz]

You could well be right, I am not at all au fait with technical and engineering stuff, but even if it just helps keep up morale that has to be a good thing..........What else are people to do? x

[Workingman]

I must be too much of a cynic Kaz, but I can't see my moral being up-kept when my mini Hoover Dam inevitably fails and I then learn that a better idea would have been to prop everything up on breeze blocks.

[Kaz]

I think most are doing that too - my ex certainly is! Well everything he couldn't get up his narrow stairs anyway!

[KateLMead]

Just watching the news and they are reporting that people are stealing sandbags or taking loads that are being handed out and selling them on to vulnerable people - anything between £20 and £75 per bag.

Seriously - they need to catch those people and make them work in a chain-gang filling sandbags and cleaning everyone's chemical toilets!

Makes my blood boil - have they no shame??

A Girl after "Me own Heart"