People should not have to rely on their home insurance to bail them out if future floods hit the UK, but should have products to make their houses more resilient to water damage, according to the Environment Agency.
Building merchants and DIY stores should offer help to builders and residents of the 5.5 million flood-risk properties in England and Wales, said chairman Lord Chris Smith.
He told the National Flood Forum annual conference that residents in Appleby successfully protected 46 properties from the Cumbrian floods in November, by deploying individual protection barriers after the Environment Agency warned of an imminent deluge.
Using the barriers, which were financed by Defra and cost between £2,000 and £3,000 each, kept the properties dry as water rushed through the town.
Lord Smith said: "At present one in six properties are at some risk of flooding. I would like to see industry develop new, innovative products that can be installed in homes and businesses to reduce the risk of flooding.
"We can also encourage people to make improvements so that even if flood water enters their home or business it causes less damage, meaning moving back in is quicker."
