FOLLOWING the serious flooding that hit parts of Barry and other areas of the UK last summer, the Environment Agency has launched three simple flooding guides that offer crucial advice on how to protect your home and family - before, during and after flooding.

A total of 28 properties in Barry were flooded last July, including schools, homes and businesses when flash-floods struck the town.

And with climate change likely to increase the risk of extreme weather events and floods, the guides form an essential part of the Environment Agency's ongoing Flood Awareness Campaign.

The campaign urges every household and business to check their flood risk by calling Floodline on 0845 9881188 or using the online postcode checker at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood More than 170,000 homes and businesses are situated in areas at risk of coastal or river flooding in Wales.

Even those properties not at risk of river or coastal flooding can still be affected by surface water flooding, in cases where drainage systems are unable to deal with intense rainfall - as happened in Barry last year.

With an estimated £12.4 billion worth of property, transport infrastructure and other assets at risk from flooding in Wales - not to mention the personal cost in terms of damaged possessions and irreplaceable memories - flooding can have a devastating impact on people's lives.

The new Environment Agency guides outline the steps to take in advance of, during and after flooding, to minimise this damage and disruption and keep your family safe.

The three guides are: (BLOB) Preparing for a flood - Practical advice on what to do to protect your home and family, including how to create a flood plan, prepare a flood kit of essential items, and lists of key contacts. It explains flood warning codes, outlining what action should be taken when a flood happens and gives advice on how you can minimise flood water entering your property.

(BLOB) During a flood - Advice on how to stay safe and what to do in a flood, how to protect your possessions, utilising your flood kit and what to do in an evacuation.

(BLOB) After a flood - Guidance on how to recover following a flood, including what to do on returning to your property, clearing up, dealing with an insurance claim and finding temporary housing. It also contains essential information to ensure your home is protected from future flooding.

Environment Agency Wales Flood Awareness Campaign Co-ordinator Aled Hughes said: "The extreme rainfall that we saw in 2007 is likely to become more frequent as we feel the increasing effects of climate change.

"People should not assume that because their property has not flooded in the past, it will not flood in the future.

"It is imperative that we raise awareness of flood risk, enabling people to put measures in place to prepare for flooding and to take the appropriate action to minimise the effects if it occurs.

"People must be prepared for floods and know what to do if the worst happens," he added.

For information about how to prepare for flooding and to obtain copies of the Environment Agency's three flooding guides visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood or call Floodline 0845 988 1188.