Spring Tides Aren't About the Season

The name trips people up every year. Spring tides have nothing to do with daffodils or lighter evenings — they're the highest tides of the lunar month, arriving roughly twice a month when the sun, moon and Earth line up at new moon and full moon. When one of those coincides with a strong onshore wind and low atmospheric pressure, water gets pushed towards the coast faster than it can drain away, and low-lying streets, front gardens and ground floors can flood within an hour.

If you live by the sea, you probably already know your property's flood history better than anyone. What follows is a straightforward routine you can run through in the week before a big tide, so that the day itself is calm rather than chaotic. None of it is complicated. Most of it takes an afternoon.

Check the Forecast Properly, Not Just the Weather App

General weather apps are fine for deciding whether to hang out washing. For tides, you want specific sources: your local tide table, the national flood warning service, and your council's coastal flood pages. Sign up for flood warnings by phone or text if you haven't already — they buy you valuable hours.

What you're looking for is a combination, not a single number:

• A tide height at or above your property's known threshold, obtained from your tide table
• Wind blowing onshore — from the sea towards the land — at force 5 or above
• Low pressure, which allows water levels to rise higher than the tide table predicts
• Heavy rain inland, which can combine with sea water in low-lying drainage systems

A tide of 5.2 metres with a gentle offshore breeze is a different animal from the same tide with a gale behind it. Watch for the phrase "tide plus surge" — that's your warning to act.

Move Valuables Upstairs Before You Need To

Do this a day or two ahead, while the sun is still out and you're not wading through a foot of water in the dark. Anything you'd grieve over should go above the flood line — and be honest, the flood line is usually higher than you think.

Start with the obvious: documents, photographs, jewellery, laptops, musical instruments, family heirlooms and anything electrical that can be unplugged and carried. Then work through the less obvious:

• Medicines, including prescriptions and anything that needs refrigeration — plan a cool bag or a neighbour's upstairs fridge
• Pet food, leads, carriers and bedding
• A grab bag with torch, batteries, phone charger, warm layers, water and snacks
• Shoes you can wade in, and thick gloves for afterwards

Furniture that can't be lifted — a sofa, a heavy sideboard — can be raised on bricks or plastic blocks. Roll up rugs and take them up. Unplug appliances and, if water is genuinely likely to enter, turn off the electricity at the consumer unit before it does.

Flood Barriers, Air Bricks and Drains

If you've fitted flood doors, door guards or a barrier system, this is the week to check it actually fits. Seals perish, brackets rust and rubber gaskets stiffen. Test it now so you're not discovering a missing bolt at 10pm with the water rising.

The same applies to the quieter entry points:

• Air bricks — clip-on covers are cheap and effective, but only where ventilation isn't critical
• Non-return valves on soil pipes and drains, which stop water backing up into your home
• Toilet bungs or weighted bags over downstairs WCs and floor drains, since sewage can arrive from below
• Sandbags — check they're dry, intact and stored somewhere you can reach quickly

Sandbags work best as a short, well-placed wall across a doorway with plastic sheeting behind them, not scattered loosely along a garden path. If you have none, your council often distributes them before a forecast event. Ask early.

Outside, Garage and Vehicles

Move cars to higher ground well before the tide peaks — coastal car parks flood quickly and salt water does terrible things to electrics and brake discs. If you have a garage at ground level, treat it as part of the flood zone. Bring in tools, paint, bikes, garden furniture cushions and any fuel cans.

In the garden, secure or store anything that could float and become a projectile: bins, planters, trampolines, garden chairs. Check that your outside drainage gullies are clear of leaves, because blocked gullies turn a minor overflow into a serious one. Photograph every room, cupboard and valuable item on your phone before anything happens — insurers love dated evidence, and you'll be grateful for it later.

When the Water Comes, and When It Goes

Never walk or drive through floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock an adult off their feet, and it hides drains, kerbs and sharp debris. Keep children and pets well back, and stay away from the sea wall during the peak — spray and overtopping are the real danger.

Once the tide has turned and the water recedes, don't rush back in. Check for structural damage, keep electricity off until a qualified person has looked at it, and wear gloves and wellingtons. Salt water contaminates everything it touches, so hose down hard surfaces, throw away food that's been in contact with floodwater and photograph the damage before you clean up. Then call your insurer, and your council if drains are blocked.

A little preparation turns a frightening night into an inconvenience. It's the most coastal thing you can do: work with the sea, and be ready when it comes calling.