Homeowner reveals how he kept floods at bay

A man who built a flood wall around his home has released an e-book to share how he did it.

Nick Lupton, who lives near Callow End in Worcestershire, bought Pixham House next to the River Severn in 2016.

The area has flooded more than 10 times since then, but Mr Lupton said that since building a wall last year it had successfully kept the waters at bay.

A BBC video of the water surrounding his home in January has been viewed more than 30 million times.

Mr Lupton said quite a few people had got in touch afterwards, asking how they could do the same.

"After a while, I thought 'well I might as well just write it down'. We've ended up having an e-book," he said.

The now-published e-book, entitled The Great Wall of Pixham, is free to victims of flooding and covers some of the technicalities required for anyone wanting to follow his example.

The wall took four months to build and Mr Lupton and his wife had to remortgage their home, parts of which date back to the 17th Century, to pay for the work.

It has been constructed 30cm (12in) higher than the previous flood peak and the couple hope it will continue to protect their property with floods a near-certainty in the coming years.

"We've got some extra height on the wall if the floods get higher," he said.

"But I think it's more about the frequency of flooding. It's making our ability to protect our home easier having the wall.

"There's far less to do now than previously."

Mr Lupton said he would very closely watch gauges on the River Severn and into Wales.

"We'll know that we're going to be in trouble probably three or four days before it actually reaches us," he said.

"We'll get the shopping in, we'll make sure we've got enough to sustain us whilst we're surrounded by water."

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