A Field Manual for Resilience · United Kingdom Edition

Fitch's UK Prepper's
Comprehensive Guide

100 pages of illustrated, step-by-step, UK-specific instruction — from a 72-hour kit to prolonged societal collapse. Fully indexed.

100+Pages

10Chapters

1Searchable map

20+Illustrations & Diagrams

10+Checklists & How-Tos

Foreword: Why This Guide Exists

Prepping in the United Kingdom is different from prepping almost anywhere else. We live on a crowded, damp, temperate island with a just-in-time food supply, a stretched power grid, dense urban conurbations, and strict laws governing weapons, land access, and self-defence. Generic American prepper advice — bug-out rifles, desert water caches, open-carry — is not just unhelpful here, it is often illegal. This handbook is written for the British household: terraced house or rural cottage, flat in a city or caravan in Wales, family of four or single occupant. It assumes you want to be self-reliant, law-abiding, and useful to your neighbours when things go wrong.

The guide is organised into ten chapters, each indexed so you can find any topic instantly from the index on the left or the alphabetical index at the back. Every how-to is written as numbered steps. Every legal claim is flagged. Every illustration is a diagram you can follow, not a stock photo. Tick off the checklists as you go — your progress is saved in this browser.

How to use this book

Read Chapter 1 once, then jump straight to the checklists in Appendix A (CHAPTER 8 ). Build the 72-hour kit first, then the two-week store, then three months. Do not try to do everything at once — resilience is built in layers, over months.

Full Table of Contents

Foundations & Mindset

1.1 What Prepping Actually Is

Prepping is the disciplined practice of reducing your household's dependence on fragile, just-in-time systems and building the skills and stores to cope when those systems fail. It is not hoarding, it is not paranoia, and it is not about "the end of the world." The UK government's own advice — Prepare, Stay, Inform — recommends every household keep food, water, and medicine for at least a few days. Prepping simply extends that logic further, in proportion to the risks you face.

The five pillars of resilience

Water4 L/person/day minimum

Food2,000–2,500 kcal/person/day

Warmth18°C core room target

HealthFirst aid + meds + hygiene

SecurityHome, comms, evacuation plan

Notice what is missing from that list: weapons are not a pillar. In the UK, security is achieved through locks, lighting, awareness, community, and the law — not through firearms. That is a legal reality, and this guide works within it.

Legal baseline (read this first)

It is legal in the UK to store food, water, fuel (within limits), medicines (within prescription rules), and to learn first aid, foraging, and self-sufficiency skills. It is illegal to possess firearms without a certificate, to carry knives or offensive weapons in public, to make explosives, or to use unreasonable force in self-defence. Everything in this guide is written to stay on the right side of that line.

1.2 UK Threat Assessment Matrix

Not every risk is equally likely or equally severe. Score each risk on likelihood (1–5) and impact (1–5), multiply for a priority score, and prepare for the highest scores first. Below is the matrix for a typical UK household.

Risk	Likelihood (UK)	Impact	Priority	Typical duration
Storms / power cut (winter)	5	3	15	Hours – 3 days
Flooding (coastal / river)	4	4	16	Days – 2 weeks
Heavy snow / travel freeze	3	3	9	1 – 7 days
Heatwave & drought	4	2	8	Days – weeks
Pandemic / new disease	3	4	12	Months
Fuel supply crisis	3	4	12	Weeks
Food supply disruption	3	4	12	Weeks – months
Cyber attack on infrastructure	3	5	15	Days – weeks
Civil unrest / rioting	2	4	8	Days
Terrorism (bomb / CBRN)	2	5	10	Local, days
EMP / severe solar flare	1	5	5	Months – years
Economic collapse / hyperinflation	2	5	10	Years

The top-priority rows are the ordinary ones: storms, floods, infrastructure cyber-attack. A household prepared for a two-week winter power cut is already 80% prepared for almost everything else. Build that foundation before worrying about EMPs.

Figure 1.1 — Schematic UK risk zones. Flood risk is the single most likely disruptive event for 1 in 6 English homes. Verify your exact risk with the Environment Agency's long-term flood map.

The 3/3/3 rule and the 72-hour baseline

The human survival rule of threes: 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter in extreme cold, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. In the UK, the binding constraint is usually warmth in winter and water always. Start with a 72-hour kit, then extend.

1.3 UK Law Every Prepper Must Know

Ignorance of the law is not a defence, and a prepper who breaks the law draws exactly the kind of attention OPSEC is meant to avoid. Memorise these boundaries.

Topic	What's legal	What's not
Knives & tools	Use at home; folding pocket knife with cutting edge under 3 inches (no locking) may be carried for work/camping with good reason	Carrying any knife in public without good reason; locking blades over 3"; banned items (flick knives, zombie knives, batons, CS spray)
Firearms	Shotgun / firearm with valid certificate; air rifles (over 18, within power limits) on private land with permission	Uncertified firearms; self-loading rifles; most handguns; carrying in public
Self-defence	"Reasonable force" / "grossly disproportionate" test only in your home; you can use force to protect yourself & others	Pre-emptive attack; retaliation; weapons grabbed "to teach them a lesson"
Fuel storage	Up to 30 litres petrol at home in approved containers (10L per container max); unlimited diesel/heating oil (notify if >3.5t)	Storing petrol in unapproved containers; large quantities without notification & proper tank
Foraging	Common law right to collect wild flowers, fruit, foliage, fungi for personal use (not for sale) on common land / with permission	Digging up plants (uprooting); protected species (bluebells, wild garlic in some sites); on private land without permission; night poaching of animals
Rainwater	Collecting rainwater from your own roof is unrestricted; use for non-potable without consent	Diverting or abstracting from rivers/streams over 20m³/day without Environment Agency abstraction licence
Radio	PMR446 & CB unlicensed; ham radio with Foundation/Intermediate/Full licence	Transmitting on licensed frequencies without a licence; jamming; encrypted comms on ham bands
Building works	Permitted development rights cover many small sheds, solar, log stores	Unpermitted structural changes; solid-fuel stove installation without HETAS engineer & building control sign-off

The "grossly disproportionate" rule

In England & Wales, force used against a burglar in your home is unlawful only if "grossly disproportionate." Outside the home (e.g. defending your allotment or car), the test is simply "reasonable" — a much stricter bar. Never chase someone off your property; the moment they are retreating, your right to use force ends.

1.4 The Phased Plan & Budgeting

Resilience is built in five phases. Each phase is a complete, usable level of preparation in its own right. Never skip a phase to "prepare for the end of the world" while lacking a torch and a bottle of water.

Phase	Target	Typical cost (UK)	Time to build
Phase 0 — Grab bag	72 hours, evacuate on foot	£80–£150	1 weekend
Phase 1 — Shelter in place	2 weeks at home, no utilities	£300–£600	1–2 months
Phase 2 — Extended disruption	3 months food, 1 month water	£800–£1,500	6 months
Phase 3 — Self-reliant	12 months food, off-grid power & heat, growing skills	£3,000–£8,000	1–2 years
Phase 4 — Community resilient	Group of households, shared skills & defence, long-term food production	Shared	Ongoing

Budget method: the £10/week rule

Add £10–£20 of long-life food and one useful item to every weekly shop. Rotate what you buy. Over a year that is £500–£1,000 of stores without any single painful purchase. Keep a spreadsheet: item, quantity, purchase date, best-before, location.

Week 1: Buy a 10L water container, a torch + spare batteries, a first-aid kit.
Week 2: Add 4 tins each of beans, soup, meat, fish; 1kg rice, 1kg pasta; long-life milk.
Week 3: Add a wind-up radio, USB power bank, candles + matches in a sealed tin.
Each subsequent week: Add one "comfort" item (chocolate, tea, coffee) and one "skill" item (book, seeds, tool).
Every 3 months: Audit, rotate, replace expired items; update your spreadsheet.

1.5 Mindset, OPSEC & Skills Inventory

OPSEC (operational security) means not advertising your preparations. In a prolonged crisis, the household known to have "a garage full of food" becomes a target. In normal times, it attracts theft and ridicule. Rule of thumb: tell only people you would trust to share with you — ideally your immediate prepping group. Do not post photos of your stores on social media.

The skills ladder (learn one per season)

First aid at work (3-day course) — most valuable single skill
Fire lighting without matches (ferro rod, fire steel, bow drill)
Knife safety & basic food prep from raw ingredients
Sourdough / baking without yeast packets
Gardening: grow potatoes, onions, brassicas, legumes
Preserving: bottling, dehydrating, fermenting (sauerkraut, kimchi)
Sewing & clothing repair; darning, patching, hand-stitching
Basic DIY: plumbing (stopcock!), electrics (isolation), carpentry
Navigation with map & compass (OS Landranger, not just phone)
Ham radio Foundation licence (free exam, online course)

Water — The Number One Priority

2.1 Requirements & the Maths

UK official guidance (and common sense) sets the minimum at 2 litres per person per day for drinking, plus a further 2 litres for cooking and basic hygiene — 4 L/person/day as a hard minimum. Realistically, for comfort and dignity, plan for 6–10 L/person/day. Pets add ~0.5 L/day per cat, 1–2 L/day per dog.

Household	72 hr (min)	2 weeks (min)	3 months (ideal)
1 adult	12 L	56 L	360 L
2 adults	24 L	112 L	720 L
2 adults + 1 child	30 L	140 L	900 L
2 adults + 2 children	36 L	168 L	1,080 L

Quick calculation

Multiply people × 4 L × days. For 2 adults for 14 days: 2 × 4 × 14 = 112 litres. A standard water-butt is 210 L — one full butt covers two people for a month at minimum ration.

2.2 Storage Systems & Rotation

Container rules

Use only food-grade plastic — look for the resin code 2 (HDPE) or 5 (PP), or the fork-and-glass food-safe symbol. Never store water in old milk cartons (residue goes rancid) or soft drinks bottles (sugar residue breeds bacteria).
Clean with unscented dish soap, rinse thoroughly, then sanitise with a weak bleach solution (1 tsp bleach per litre of water), rinse again.
Fill from the cold tap, leaving a 5% air gap for expansion if freezing is possible.
Add 2–3 drops of unscented household bleach (4–5% sodium hypochlorite) per litre for long-term storage, OR 1 drop per litre if your water is already chlorinated. More is not better — over-chlorination tastes foul and is unnecessary.
Label with date filled and rotate by (6 months for plain tap water, 12 months if treated). Store in cool, dark, frost-free place — an under-stairs cupboard, internal cupboard, or insulated garage. Sunlight grows algae; frost bursts containers.
Rotate by using stored water for cooking/plants and refilling, every 6–12 months.

Storage options (UK-available)

Option	Capacity	Cost	Best for
Heavy-duty HDPE jerry cans	10–25 L	£15–£30	Portable, car boot, stacking
Water butt (food-grade liner)	100–250 L	£30–£70	Bulk static storage
Aquatank / folding bladder	50–100 L	£25–£50	Flat storage until needed
Large food-grade barrel (IBC)	1,000 L	£80–£150 used	Long-term bulk (must be food-grade, not chemical)
Commercially bottled water	1.5–2 L	£0.20–£0.50/L	Convenience, rotation, grab-bag

Figure 2.1 — Where to store water. Cool, dark, frost-free, accessible, and able to bear the weight (1 litre = 1 kg — a 250 L butt is a quarter of a tonne).

2.3 Rainwater Harvesting (UK Legal & Practical)

The UK gets 800–1,500 mm of rain per year (wetter in the west and north). A typical house roof of 80 m² captures roughly 80 × rainfall(m) × 0.9 (efficiency) = litres. In a 1,000 mm rainfall area, that is 72,000 litres per year — more than a household uses. Capturing it is unrestricted; using it for drinking requires filtration and disinfection (see 2.4–2.5).

How to build a basic system

Fit a rain diverter on a downpipe (available for £15–£30) feeding a food-grade water butt with a lid and a tap at the base.
Add a first-flush diverter (£20–£40) — it discards the first dirty litre of roof runoff (bird droppings, dust, pollution) before water enters the butt.
Install a filter at the outlet (mesh screen, 100 micron) to catch debris.
For drinking: pump or gravity-feed through a ceramic/carbon filter (2.4) then disinfect (2.5). Never drink untreated roof water in the UK — bird faeces carry campylobacter, E. coli, and cryptosporidium.
Clean the butt annually: empty, scrub with mild bleach solution, rinse. Keep gutters clear of leaves (fit gutter guards).

Water abstraction law

Capturing rain that falls on your own roof and land is unrestricted. Abstracting more than 20 cubic metres (20,000 litres) per day from a river, stream, or groundwater requires an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency (England), SEPA (Scotland), or NRW (Wales). For a household, you will never approach that limit.

2.4 Filtration Methods (Removes Particles & Cysts)

Filtration removes suspended solids, bacteria (if pore size < 0.2 micron), and protozoan cysts (giardia, cryptosporidium — 0.4–6 micron). It does not remove viruses (too small) or chemical contamination — for that you need activated carbon plus disinfection. Layer your defences: pre-filter → fine filter → carbon → disinfect.

Method	Pore size	Removes	Cost	Notes
Boil (1 min rolling, 3 min if altitude)	—	Bacteria, viruses, cysts (kills them)	Fuel cost	Most reliable; needs fuel
Ceramic candle filter (e.g. Doulton, Berkey-type)	0.2–0.9 µm	Bacteria, cysts, sediment	£50–£250	Gravity fed, long life, cleanable
Activated carbon block	0.5–1 µm + adsorption	Chemicals, chlorine, taste, some heavy metals	£10–£60	Must be replaced; does not kill microbes
Hollow-fibre squeeze filter (e.g. LifeStraw, Sawyer)	0.1 µm	Bacteria, cysts	£20–£60	Portable, grab-bag; not viruses
UV (e.g. SteriPen)	—	Bacteria, viruses, cysts	£40–£100	Needs clear water + batteries; useless in murky water
Sand/gravel slow-sand filter (DIY)	~1–5 µm + biofilm	Sediment, most bacteria	£20 materials	Slow (1–3 L/hr), needs mature biofilm (weeks)

Figure 2.2 — The four-stage water defence. No single method is perfect; layered defence guarantees safety. Stage 4 (disinfection) is non-negotiable if the source is surface water and viruses may be present.

2.5 Purification & Disinfection (Kills Microbes)

Bleach method (most available in the UK)

(most available in the UK)

Use unscented household bleach containing 4–5% sodium hypochlorite (e.g. supermarket own-brand thin bleach — NOT thick bleach, NOT scented, NOT toilet cleaner).

Water clarity	Drops per litre (4–5% bleach)	Drops per gallon (4.5 L)	Stand time
Clear	2 drops	8–10 drops	30 min
Cloudy / cold	4 drops	16–20 drops	60 min

After standing, you should smell a faint chlorine odour — if not, the water was heavily contaminated; repeat the dose. Pour between two containers to aerate and remove chlorine taste.

Chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) — best for stockpiling

Tablets (e.g. Micropur, Aquamira) or drops store for years, kill cryptosporidium (bleach doesn't reliably), and leave less taste. Dose per instructions; typically 1 tablet per 1–2 L, 30 min stand. Keep a stock of 200–500 tablets per person per year.

SODIS (solar disinfection) — free, UK-usable in summer

Fill clear PET plastic bottles (1–2 L) with clear water (filter first if murky).
Lay on a reflective surface (corrugated iron, foil) in direct sunlight for 6 hours sunny / 2 days cloudy.
UV-A plus heat kills pathogens. Works best above 30°C water temp — in UK summer it works; in winter, combine with other methods.

2.6 Emergency Water Sources (When the Tap Runs Dry)

In your home, in order of safety:

Hot water cylinder / immersion tank — typically 120–250 L of clean water. Turn off the incoming supply first (stopcock) to prevent back-contamination, then drain via the tap at the bottom. Filter & disinfect before drinking.
Toilet cistern (not the bowl) — clean water if you use plain cleaning blocks; disinfect before drinking. Do not use if blue in-tank cleaners are present.
Central heating header tank / feed tank — usually in the loft; may contain rust/inhibitor — emergency only, filter + boil.
Ice cubes, melted; tinned food liquid; bottled drinks.
Outside: rivers, streams, lakes, dew, rain. Always filter + disinfect. Fast-moving upland streams are cleaner than slow lowland rivers; never take water downstream of a farm, field, or settlement.

Never drink these

Seawater (causes dehydration faster), urine, radiator coolant/antifreeze (toxic), water with a sheen or chemical smell, floodwater (sewage + chemicals + diesel — even filtered it is high-risk; boil AND disinfect).

Food & Nutrition

3.1 Calories & Nutrition Maths

A sedentary adult needs ~2,000 kcal/day (women) / 2,500 kcal/day (men). Under physical stress (cold, manual labour, walking), add 500–1,000 kcal. Children 5–12: ~1,500–2,000. Plan for 2,200 kcal/person/day average as a stockpiling target, with variety to avoid "food fatigue" (a real cause of weight loss in crises).

The macronutrient balance target

50%Carbohydrates (rice, pasta, oats, flour)

25%Fats (oil, ghee, butter, nuts, suet)

20%Protein (beans, lentils, tinned meat/fish, powdered milk/egg)

5%Vitamins/minerals (tinned veg, dried fruit, multivitamins)

The fat trap

Fat is the hardest macronutrient to store long-term (oils go rancid in 1–2 years) and the most calorie-dense (9 kcal/g). Stockpile ghee (clarified butter, 2+ years), tinned butter, coconut oil, and suet, and rotate cooking oil every 12–18 months. A calorie-deficient diet from lack of fat is the most common prepper pantry failure.

3.2 Building the Pantry in Phases

Two-week store (per person) — start here

Breakfast: 1 kg porridge oats + 1 kg sugar + long-life milk powder
Lunch: 14 tins soup / 2 kg pasta + jars of sauce / crackers + tinned cheese spread
Dinner: 7 tins meat (chicken, ham, corned beef, spam) + 7 tins fish + 2 kg rice + 1 kg lentils + 14 tins veg (tomato, sweetcorn, peas, carrots)
Extras: tea/coffee, chocolate, hard sweets, biscuits, stock cubes, salt, pepper, spices, multivitamins
Comfort & morale: 1 treat item per person per week (critical for children)

Three-month store — add these

Bulk carbs: 25 kg rice, 15 kg pasta, 10 kg flour, 5 kg oats, 5 kg dried potato
Bulk protein: 5 kg dried beans (mixed), 2 kg lentils, 2 kg chickpeas, 1 kg split peas; 24 tins meat/fish minimum; 2 kg powdered milk; 500 g powdered eggs
Fat: 5 L cooking oil (rotate), 1 kg ghee, 1 kg coconut oil, tinned butter ×6
Flavour & preservation: 2 kg salt, 1 kg sugar, 500 g honey (never goes off), yeast (keep in freezer), baking powder, vinegar (white + malt), Worcester sauce, soy sauce, large spice set
Fruit/veg: 24 tins minimum; 1 kg dried fruit; freeze-dried berries (optional)
Baking: flour, yeast, salt, sugar, oil — bread is the ultimate morale food

Shelf-life reference table (store cool, dark, airtight)

Food	Shelf life (best)	Notes
Salt, sugar, honey	Indefinite	Honey crystallises but is safe; salt may clump
White rice (paddy, uncooked)	30+ years (O₂-free)	Brown rice only 6–12 months (oil in bran)
Dried beans/lentils	20–30 years (O₂-free)	Older beans need longer soaking; may not soften
Hard wheat / grains	30+ years	Needs grain mill to use; flour only 5–10 years
Pasta	20+ years (O₂-free)	Keep dry; weevils are the main risk
Tinned food (low-acid: meat, veg, beans)	2–5 years (often safe longer)	Discard if bulging, leaking, rusted, or foul smell on opening
Tinned food (high-acid: tomatoes, fruit)	12–18 months	Acid corrodes tin; rotate
Cooking oil	1–2 years	Goes rancid; rotate; store dark/cool
Freeze-dried meals	25–30 years	Expensive (£5–£10/meal); worth a 1–2 week luxury stash
Multivitamins	2–3 years	Lose potency after expiry; rotate

3.3 Long-Term Packaging:

3.3 Long-Term Packaging: Mylar, Oxygen Absorbers & Buckets

For 10+ year storage of dry goods (rice, beans, wheat, pasta, flour), the gold standard is food-grade 5-gallon (25 L) buckets with gamma-seal lids, containing Mylar foil bags with oxygen absorbers. This excludes oxygen (kills weevil eggs), light, and moisture.

Step-by-step: bucket a 25 kg sack of rice

Assemble: food-grade 25 L bucket with gamma-seal lid (£8–£15), 5-gallon Mylar bag (£1–£2 each), 2,000 cc oxygen absorber (or 2× 1,000 cc), clothes iron or hair straightener, labels.
Line bucket with Mylar bag, leaving 15 cm overlap at top. Fill with dry rice (must be <10% moisture — if in doubt, add a desiccant packet or dry it first).
Drop in the oxygen absorber (they activate on contact with air — work quickly, within 15 minutes of opening the packet).
Seal the top 5 cm of the Mylar bag with the iron (set to cotton/wool, no steam) — press firmly for 5 seconds along the whole width. Leave a 5 cm gap at one corner.
Squeeze out as much air as possible through the gap, then seal the gap. The absorber will remove remaining oxygen over 2–4 hours; the bag should look slightly vacuum-packed.
Fold bag top down, fit gamma-seal lid, label with contents, weight, date packed, and "use by +20 years." Store cool, dark, off concrete floor (put on pallet/wood to prevent moisture wicking).

Freezer trick for weevils

Before sealing, freeze grains/beans for 3 days in a domestic freezer to kill any insect eggs, then thaw and dry before bagging. Combined with O₂ absorbers, this guarantees no weevil hatch.

Figure 3.1 — The food storage pyramid. The mistake is inverting it: expensive freeze-dried meals on top while the daily pantry is empty. Build the base first.

3.4 Growing Food in the UK Climate

The UK's maritime climate (mild, wet, low sunshine hours — 1,400–1,800/year vs 2,500+ in southern Europe) dictates what grows well. Focus on calorie-dense, easy, pest-resistant crops that store well.

The "survival eight" UK crops (calories per m² per year)

Crop	Calories/m²/yr	Sowing	Harvest	Storage
Potatoes (maincrop)	~1,500	Mar–Apr (chitted)	Sep–Oct	Frost-free clamp/sack, dark, 6–9 months
Wheat/barley (grain)	~1,000–2,000	Autumn (winter) or spring	Aug–Sep	dry, O₂-free, years
Onions & shallots	~200 (but essential)	Feb–Apr sets	Aug–Sep	String up, cool/dry, 6–8 months
Carrots & parsnips	~250	Mar–Jun	Oct–Feb (leave in ground)	In ground over winter / sand boxes
Brassicas (cabbage, kale, sprouts)	~150 (vitamins)	Spring modules	Autumn–winter	Standing through winter; kale all winter
Broad beans & peas (legumes)	~300 + fix nitrogen	Nov (broad) / Mar (peas)	Jun–Aug	Dry for winter store
Squash & pumpkins	~500	Apr–May indoors	Oct	Cool/frost-free, 3–6 months (crown prince keeps best)
Apples & pears (fruit trees)	~500–2,000/tree	Plant bare-root Nov–Mar	Autumn	Cool/dark, late varieties keep 4–6 months

Space-efficient method: the 4-bed rotation

Bed 1 — Roots: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beetroot (heavy feeders, new ground).
Bed 2 — Legumes: beans, peas (fix nitrogen, follow roots).
Bed 3 — Brassicas: cabbage, kale, sprouts, swede (love the nitrogen left by legumes).
Bed 4 — Others: onions, leeks, squash, salad, herbs (light feeders, follow brassicas).
Rotate annually so no family repeats on the same bed for 4 years — prevents disease build-up.
Add comfrey (make liquid feed), nettles (feed + soup + tea), and a fruit cage/bushes (raspberries, blackcurrants — super high in vitamin C, freeze or make cordial).

Seeds — the real long-term prep

prep

Store open-pollinated (not F1 hybrid) seeds so you can save seed year to year. Keep in airtight jar in fridge or cool place. Essential: potato (buy seed potatoes annually), onion sets, broad bean, pea, carrot, parsnip, cabbage, kale, squash, tomato, lettuce, radish. A £30 seed collection can feed a family for years if you learn to save seed.

3.5 Preserving, Foraging, Hunting & Fishing

Preserving methods ranked by UK practicality

Water-bath bottling (jams, chutneys, fruit, tomatoes): Kilner jars, boil filled jars 10–20 min, seal. High-acid foods only. Store 1–2 years.
Pressure canning (meat, veg, meals-in-jars): Requires a pressure canner (£150–£300). Essential for low-acid foods. UK availability is limited but growing. Safest long-term meat storage.

Dehydrating: Electric dehydrator (£40–£120) or oven on lowest setting with door ajar. Fruit leather, jerky, dried veg, herbs. Store airtight with desiccant, 1–2 years.

Fermenting: Sauerkraut, kimchi, sourdough, yoghurt, kefir — no fuel needed, probiotic, keeps months in cool place. Cabbage + salt + time.

Salting & smoking: Bacon, ham, fish (kippers). Requires saltpetre/nitrates for safety; smoke for flavour + preservation. Traditional UK skills — worth learning.

Root cellaring: A frost-free, damp, dark outbuilding or insulated box stores potatoes, carrots, apples, squash for months. A fridge-freezer is a poor substitute when power fails.

UK foraging — safe, legal, seasonal

Foraging law (Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981)
You may pick wild mushrooms, berries, fruit, nuts, flowers and foliage for personal use on common land, footpaths (where not prohibited), and with landowner permission. You may NOT uproot any plant without permission (digging = illegal), and you may not pick protected species (check schedule 8 — e.g. bluebells, some orchids). Never forage on nature reserves or SSSIs without specific permission. The 4 mushrooms that kill most people in the UK: Death Cap, Destroying Angel, Funeral Bell, Fool's Funnel — learn these four visually before eating any wild mushroom. When in doubt, throw it out.

Month What's available (UK-wide)

Jan–Feb Nettles (young tops), chickweed, rosehips (last), hazelnuts (stored), sea beet

Mar–Apr Wild garlic (ramsons), three-cornered leek, dandelion leaves, young nettles, primrose, wild plum blossom

May–Jun Elderflowers (cordial/champagne), hawthorn leaves, gooseberries, wild strawberries, alexanders, samphire (coastal)

Jul–Aug Blackberries (start), raspberries, wild cherries, elderberries (start), hazelnuts (green), wild thyme, marjoram

Sep–Oct Blackberries (peak), elderberries, sloes (after first frost), bullaces, crab apples, rosehips, sweet chestnuts, wild mushrooms (edible: cep, chanterelle, field mushroom — with expert ID)

Nov–Dec Haws, rosehips, sloes, sweet chestnuts, pine cones (pine needle tea), ivy (not edible — for bees)

Hunting & fishing — UK legal framework

Rabbit & pigeon (woodpigeon): On your own land or with written permission; air rifle (over 18, sub-12 ft-lb) or shotgun with certificate. Rabbit is pest species, no closed season.

Deer: Requires firearms certificate (FAC) with deer condition, or stalking with an experienced stalker. Closed seasons vary by species; venison is excellent.

Game (pheasant, partridge, grouse): Season 12 Aug (grouse) / 1 Sep (pheasant) – 1 Feb; needs landowner permission and shotgun certificate.

Fishing: Rod licence (Environment Agency, £30/yr) + water permission (club/landowner). Coarse fishing closed season on rivers 15 Mar–15 Jun. Sea fishing from shore: no licence needed in England/Wales.

Traps/snares: Heavily regulated; snares legal only in Scotland & England (not Wales) with training; illegal self-locking snares. Learn before setting.

3.6 Cooking Without Power

Method Fuel Cost Indoor safe? Notes

Rocket stove Sticks, twigs, scrap wood £40–£120 (or DIY from bricks/cans) No — outdoor/well vented Very efficient, 10 sticks boils a litre

Trangia / alcohol stove Methylated spirit / bioethanol £30–£80 Yes (with care, no fumes) Slow but safe indoors; fuel stores well (sealed)

Gas camping stove (Campingaz / screw-in) Butane/propane canisters £20–£60 No — CO risk Butane fails below ~2°C; use propane mix in winter

Wood-burning stove (permanent) Logs, briquettes £800–£2,500 installed (HETAS) Yes — with flue Also heats a room; best single prep for UK winters

Haybox / wonderbag (thermal cooking) None (retained heat) £0 DIY (box + blankets) Yes Bring to boil, insulate 2–4 hrs; saves 80% fuel

Solar oven Sun £50–£200 Outdoor UK summer only; slow (2–4 hrs)

Barbecue / fire pit Charcoal/wood — Never indoors Charcoal stores indefinitely dry; never use indoors — CO kills silently

Carbon monoxide — the silent killer
Every year people die using barbecues, camping stoves, or generators indoors during power cuts. ANY flame that burns fuel consumes oxygen and produces CO. Rule: if it has a flame, it goes outside or up a flue. Fit a battery-powered CO alarm (£15) and test it monthly. Symptoms of CO poisoning: headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion — get outside immediately.

04
Shelter, Warmth & Power

4.1 Home Hardening & Flood Defence

Insulation & draught-proofing (cuts heating need by 30–50%)

Loft insulation to 300 mm (mineral wool, £200 DIY — pays for itself in months).

Cavity wall insulation if applicable (professional, ~£500; solid wall: internal wall insulation £2–4k or external £8–15k).

Draught-proof: letterbox brush, keyhole cover, draught excluder on doors, window insulation film (secondary glazing, £15/room), seal skirting gaps with decorator's caulk.

Thick curtains (thermal lining) closed at dusk; shut internal doors; one "warm room" strategy.

Floor: rugs + underlay; if suspended wooden floor, seal gaps between boards with silicone or paper rope.

Flood defence (if at risk — check Environment Agency)

Store valuables & electrics upstairs; raise sockets to 1.5 m+ when rewiring.

Buy airbrick covers & door flood boards (sandbags are last resort — leak; proper boards £100–£300).

Know where your stopcock is (under kitchen sink usually — label it, test it turns annually).

Have a "flood grab list": documents, meds, pets, children, irreplaceables — upstairs first, evacuate if advised.

Non-return valves on drains (prevents sewage backflow — £50–£150 fitted).

Figure 4.1 — Where heat escapes. Insulate the loft first (cheapest, biggest gain), then draughts, then walls. A well-insulated home needs a fraction of the backup heating.

4.2 Heating Without Gas or Electricity

The warm-room strategy

When central heating fails, do not try to heat the whole house. Choose one room (ideally with an external wall for flue, small, with a door). Seal it: draught excluder, thick curtains over windows and even over the door. Everyone lives, sleeps, and cooks (if safe) in that room. Aim for 18°C daytime, 16°C night. Use hot-water bottles (not electric) and layered clothing.

Heating options ranked

Option Fuel / runtime Cost Indoor safe Best for

Wood-burning / multi-fuel stove Logs — 1 stove = 5–8 kW; 1–2 logs/hr £800–£2,500 + install Yes (flued) Primary heat + cooking; best UK prep

Portable gas heater (butane/propane cabinet) 15 kg cylinder ~50 hrs on low £60–£120 + £30/cylinder refill With ventilation; CO risk Backup; keep window cracked 1 cm

Paraffin heater (e.g. Aladdin, Toyotomi) Paraffin — 4 L ~ 12 hrs £150–£350 With ventilation; fumes Reliable Japanese design; store fuel safely

Calor gas / LPG Butane (winter: propane) — With flue/vent Also for cooking & fridge

Electric heater (off-grid) Needs big battery/generator — Yes Only if you have serious solar/battery

Candles / terracotta pot heater Tealights — minimal heat £5 DIY Fire risk Last resort; not a real heater

Fuel storage law
Petrol: max 30 L at home, in approved metal/plastic cans, max 10 L per container, stored outdoors/shed, never in the house or near a flame. Diesel/heating oil: no legal limit at home, but if you store over 3.5 tonnes you must notify and meet building regs. Paraffin: store in sealed blue container, cool place. Propane/butane cylinders: store outdoors upright, away from house, valve closed.

4.3 Off-Grid Power — Sized for the UK Sun

UK solar irradiance averages 2.5–4 peak-sun-hours (PSH) per day (south coast ~4, Scotland ~2.5), and winter can drop to 0.5–1 PSH in December. Size your system for the worst month, not summer. A 100 W panel produces roughly 100 W × PSH × 0.75 (losses) = 190–300 Wh/day in summer, 40–75 Wh/day in December.

System components (in order)

Solar panel(s): Monocrystalline, 100–400 W each. Mount at 30–40° tilt, facing south (or east-west split for longer day). Keep clear of shading (one shaded cell kills a string).

Charge controller: MPPT (more efficient, worth the extra £) — matches panel voltage to battery. Size for panel wattage ÷ battery voltage.

Battery bank: Lead-acid deep-cycle (cheapest, heavy, 50% max depth of discharge) or LiFePO4 (lighter, 80–90% DoD, longer life — but expensive and needs BMS). Size in watt-hours: e.g. 12 V × 100 Ah = 1,200 Wh, usable ~600 Wh (lead) or ~1,000 Wh (LiFePO4).

Inverter: Pure sine wave (not modified square — damages motors, electronics). Size 2× your continuous load for surge. E.g. 1,000 W inverter for 500 W loads.

Fuses & cabling: Fuse at battery positive (within 15 cm). Cable gauge: 12 V systems lose a lot over distance — use thick cable (10 mm²+ for runs over 2 m). Disconnect battery before working.

Optional: Wind turbine (works well in UK winter when solar is weak — 300–600 W domestic, noisy), small hydro if you have a stream, petrol/generator backup (2 kW, run 1 hr/day to top up batteries — never indoors).

Figure 4.2 — Off-grid power flow. Keep 12V loads on 12V (no inverter loss ~15%). Size battery for 2–3 cloudy days autonomy; size panels to recharge in one good day.

Essential loads to power (watts)

Device Watts Wh/day (typical use)

LED lighting (5 rooms, 4 hrs) 5–10 W each 100–200 Wh

Mobile phone charging ×4 10 W 40 Wh

Laptop / tablet 50 W 150 Wh

Router (keep internet alive) 10–20 W 240–480 Wh

12V fridge (compressor type) 40–60 W avg 600–1,000 Wh

TV + radio 50–100 W 200–400 Wh

Water pump (12V, intermittent) 100 W 100–200 Wh

CPAP / medical (critical) 30–60 W 240–480 Wh (must have backup)

Total essential: ~1.5–2.5 kWh/day. In December, with 1 PSH, you'd need ~2,000 W of solar (or wind + generator) to keep up. Most households start with 400–800 W solar + 200–400 Ah battery and accept rationing in deep winter.

4.4 Lighting & Cooking Fuel

LED torches + headlamps (headlamp = hands-free, most useful). Stockpile AA/AAA Eneloop rechargeables + charger runs off 12V.

Wind-up / solar lanterns (e.g. d.light, Duracell wind-up) — no batteries needed.

Oil lamp (paraffin) — bright, warm, but fumes & fire risk; keep wick trimmed, never leave unattended.

Candles (tealights in glass jars, dinner candles) — low light, high fire risk; put on non-flammable tray, never near curtains.

Glow sticks (chemiluminescent) — safe for children, 8–12 hrs, no flame; keep a dozen.

Headlamp spare batteries in sealed bag; test every 6 months.

4.5 Cold Survival & Clothing Layers

Hypothermia can kill at +5°C if you are wet and windy. The UK's damp cold is more dangerous than continental dry cold. Layering is the system:

Base layer (wicking): Merino wool or synthetic (not cotton — cotton kills when wet). Long-sleeve top + leggings. Two sets: one worn, one washed/dried.

Mid layer (insulation): Fleece, wool jumper, down/synthetic gilet. Multiple thin layers trap more air than one thick.

Shell (wind & waterproof): Breathable waterproof jacket + overtrousers. UK rain is horizontal; without a shell, mid-layers soak through.

Extremities: Hat (30% heat loss through head), gloves (mittens warmer than gloves), wool socks (2 pairs), waterproof boots with gaiters. Scarf or neck gaiter.

Sleep system: 3-season sleeping bag (comfort rating 0°C or lower) + foam roll mat + silk/cotton liner. In a power-cut winter, sleep in base layers + hat + hot-water bottle.

Hypothermia signs & response
Shivering (good — body fighting), then shivering STOPS (bad — core temp dropping), confusion, slurred speech, drowsiness. Response: get indoors/shelter, remove wet clothes, warm slowly (warm drinks, skin-to-skin, hot-water bottles to armpits/neck/groin — NOT limbs, NOT hot bath — rapid rewarming causes cardiac arrest). Call 999 if confused or unconscious.

05
Health, Hygiene & Medical

5.1 First Aid Kits — Three Levels

Level 1: Personal (in every bag, pocket-sized)

Assorted plasters (waterproof), sterile wipes, antiseptic cream / iodine

Paracetamol & ibuprofen, antihistamine, loperamide (Imodium), rehydration sachets

Tweezers (splinter/tick), small scissors, micropore tape, 1 conforming bandage

Emergency foil blanket, pair of nitrile gloves, CPR face shield

Personal meds copy, emergency contact card, blister pads

Level 2: Household (under-stairs, comprehensive)

Everything in Level 1, multiplied ×4 people

Variety of sterile dressings (5×5, 10×10, abdominal pad), triangular bandages ×4, crepe bandages ×3

Sterile gauze swabs, medical tape (zinc oxide + micropore), safety pins, eye bath + sterile eye wash

Thermometer (digital, spare batteries), tweezers, tick remover, scissors, forceps

Oral rehydration salts ×20, antidiarrhoeal, antacid, paracetamol (adult + child suspension), ibuprofen, aspirin (adult only — heart attack chew), antihistamine tablets + cream, hydrocortisone 1% cream, antifungal cream, throat lozenges

Sterile sutures/steri-strips (for closure if help delayed — only if trained), surgical gloves ×20 pairs

First aid manual (printed, not just phone — St John Ambulance / British Red Cross)

Level 3: Trauma / prolonged-crisis add-on

Tourniquet (CAT-style, proper one — not a makeshift), pressure dressings (Israeli bandage ×2), haemostatic gauze (Celox / QuikClot)

Chest seal (vented) for sucking chest wounds, nasopharyngeal airway (if trained)

Prescription meds stock (see 5.2), broad-spectrum antibiotics (only with medical advice — fish antibiotics are not safe for humans)

Sutures + sterile instruments (only if trained — wound closure by untrained people causes infection; delayed closure is safer)

Spare glasses (2 pairs old prescription), contact lens solution stock, dental kit (temp filling, clove oil)

The one course that matters
Do a 3-day First Aid at Work (FAW) or 1-day Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course (£100–£200). In a crisis, a trained person with a basic kit beats an untrained person with a trauma kit every time. Then do a further course every 3 years. Print the manual — phones die.

5.2 Medicines & Prescription Stockpiling (UK Law)

Prescription law
It is legal to hold your own prescribed medicines. Ask your GP for a 2- or 3-month repeat prescription (many will agree for stable conditions) and build a 4–8 week buffer by ordering a few days early each cycle. Do NOT stockpile controlled drugs (diamorphine, etc.) — possession without prescription is a criminal offence. Do NOT share prescription medicines with others. Keep a printed list of every household member's meds, dose, condition, and GP surgery.

OTC medicine stock (rotate every 2–3 years)

Item Quantity (family of 4, 3 months) For

Paracetamol 500 mg 200 tablets Pain, fever (max 8/day adult)

Ibuprofen 200 mg 100 tablets Pain, inflammation (not if asthmatic/ulcer)

Loperamide 2 mg 30 capsules Diarrhoea (stop if fever/blood)

Oral rehydration salts 30 sachets Dehydration from diarrhoea/vomiting

Antihistamine (cetirizine) 60 tablets Allergies, insect bites, anaphylaxis adjunct

Hydrocortisone 1% cream 2 tubes Eczema, bites, allergic rash (not on face/infection)

Antiseptic (povidone-iodine / chlorhexidine) 2 bottles Wound cleaning (dilute for deep wounds)

Antifungal cream (clotrimazole) 2 tubes Athlete's foot, ringworm, thrush

Throat lozenges + cough mixture Assorted Symptom relief

Multivitamins (adult + child) 3 months supply Nutritional gap cover

Electrolyte / salt tablets 50 Heat, heavy sweating

5.3 Sanitation, Toilets & Waste (The Silent Killer)

When the sewers stop flowing and the water stops flushing, disease comes fast. Cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and hepatitis A all ride on human waste. In a prolonged grid-down event, sanitation kills more people than violence. Plan for it from day one.

The bucket toilet (most reliable UK option)

Get two 5-gallon (25 L) buckets with tight lids. One in use, one "sealing." A proper toilet seat that fits on top (£10–£20) makes it dignified.

Line with a heavy-duty bin bag. After each use, cover with a scoop of absorbent + disinfectant: sawdust, peat, cat litter (non-clumping), or wood ash + quicklime. The "carbon cover" stops smell and flies.

When full (about 3–4 days for a family), seal the bag tightly, label with date, and store in a second sealed bin away from the house, away from water sources, on high ground.

After the crisis, bagged waste can be disposed of at council tips when they reopen; do NOT bury near water or vegetable plots (pathogens survive years).

Alternative: composting toilet (separate urine — urine is sterile and good fertiliser diluted 10:1; faeces compost for 2+ years before any food use). A proper composting toilet (£500–£1,500) is the long-term solution.

Figure 5.1 — The Emergency Bucket System. The key to preventing cholera and dysentery is separating waste from water and ensuring absolute carbon coverage.

Greywater & washing

Washing-up / bath water (greywater) can go on ornamental plants, not vegetables. Use eco soap (no bleach, no heavy chemicals).

Bucket baths: 1 litre of water per person per wash with a sponge and a basin — uses 10% of a shower.

Laundry: plunger + bucket (a "washing machine" plunger, £10) or washboard. Hang to dry — UK air-drying works even in winter if ventilated.

Nappies (cloth): bucket with disinfectant, wash daily, sun/air dry. Stock 24 cloth nappies if baby in house.

Rubbish: burn what you can safely (paper, cardboard), compost food waste (not meat/fish), store the rest in sealed bins away from the house. Rats follow rubbish — keep it sealed and elevated.

Diarrhoea = dehydration = death
= death
In a sanitation-collapse scenario, watery diarrhoea is the number one killer, especially of children and the elderly. Treatment is simple and cheap: oral rehydration solution (1 litre clean water + 6 tsp sugar + ½ tsp salt — the WHO formula). Sip constantly. Add zinc (20 mg/day for 10–14 days) — halves duration. Only use loperamide once you're sure it's not bloody/feverish. Keep ORS sachets in quantity — they cost pennies and save lives.

5.4 Pandemic & Biosecurity

The isolation plan (when a bug is going around)

Pre-lockdown (2 weeks before): Top up food, meds, fuel, cash. Fill prescriptions. Withdraw £200–£500 in small notes (card networks may be strained). Avoid crowds.

Isolation: One household, one door. No visitors. Deliveries left on doorstep, wiped with disinfectant, left 24 hours (coronaviruses die on surfaces within days; flu within hours). Designate one "shopper" who wears mask + gloves and decontaminates on return.

Decon station: Porch or hallway — remove shoes, outer clothes into sealed bag, wash hands/face, wipe phone/keys. Separate if someone becomes ill: one bedroom, one bathroom if possible, dedicated utensils, mask for carer.

PPE stock: FFP2/FFP3 masks ×50 per person (better than surgical), nitrile gloves ×100 pairs, goggles/face shield, aprons, hand sanitiser (or soap + water — better), bleach for surfaces (1:10 dilution, fresh daily).

Care of the sick at home: Fluids, paracetamol for fever, monitor breathing (respiratory rate >30/min, blue lips, confusion = emergency — call 999/111). Position conscious breathless patients on their front (proning) — improves oxygenation.

5.5 Mental Health & UK Herbal Medicine

Prolonged crisis breaks people. Boredom, fear, grief, and cabin fever cause as much harm as physical hardship. Plan for it: board games, books, cards, crafts, a routine, exercise daily, and a "morale officer" rotation. Keep alcohol limited — it worsens anxiety and sleep and fuels conflict. Children need routine and reassurance; involve them in useful tasks (water carrying, gardening) — purpose beats fear.

UK wild herbs worth knowing (all grow here)

Herb Use Caution

Common nettle (Urtica dioica) Iron-rich tea, soup, tonic; stings treated with dock leaves Cook or dry before eating

Chamomile (mayweed — careful ID) Sedative tea, digestive Aster allergy; correct ID (pineapple weed is safe)

Peppermint / wild mint Digestive, nausea, tea Not for young babies

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Wound styptic (stops bleeding), fever tea Not in pregnancy; can cause rash

Plantain (Plantago major/lanceolata) Chewed leaf on insect bites/stings/wounds; drawing Very safe; common lawn weed

Comfrey (Symphytum) Poultice for bruises/sprains (external only) NEVER internal — liver toxicity; not on broken skin

Willow bark (Salix) Pain/fever (original aspirin source) Aspirin allergy; not under 16 (Reye's)

Garlic (wild or cultivated) Antimicrobial, culinary, immune Blood-thinning in large doses

06
Security, Communications & Evacuation

6.1 Home Security (UK-Legal, UK-Effective)

UK security is about deterrence and delay, not confrontation. Make your house look harder than the neighbour's, and slow an intruder down long enough for police (or neighbours) to arrive. In a collapse scenario, the same principles apply — plus neighbourhood mutual defence (see Chapter 7).

Layered defence (outside → inside)

Perimeter: Hedges (thorny — hawthorn, pyracantha, berberis) under windows; gravel drives (crunch = early warning); good lighting (PIR solar LED, £10 each); CCTV (Ring/Eufy — legal: point only at your own property, no audio recording of others; signage recommended). Beware of overgrown shrubs near windows — cover for intruders.

Doors: Solid wood or composite, 5-lever mortice deadlock (BS 3621) — most insurers require it. Letterbox cage (prevents key fishing). Door chain / bar. Reinforce with a door brace (£20) for civil unrest. UPVC doors: upgrade lock cylinder to anti-snap (£30–£60, DIY).

Windows: Locks on all opening windows (key kept nearby but not in view). Laminated glass or window film (security film, £10/m²) holds glass together when smashed — big delay. Sash locks on upstairs windows too.

Safe room / inner refuge: One room with a strong door (or door brace), phone charged, torch, whistle, important documents, water. If intruders enter, retreat there, call 999, make noise. Do NOT confront.

Valuables: Not visible from windows. Keys not by front door (hook and eye high up). A small safe (bolted to floor) for documents, jewellery, backup cash.

CCTV & privacy law (UK)
Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and ICO guidance, home CCTV that captures images beyond your property boundary (street, neighbour's garden) must be used proportionately; you must not use audio recording of other people, and you must comply with Subject Access Requests. The simplest rule: angle cameras so they only cover your own land. Dummy cameras are legal and a decent deterrent.

6.2 Self-Defence & UK Law — What You Can Actually Do

The legal test (CPS guidance)
You can use reasonable force to protect yourself, another person, your property, or to prevent crime / apprehend an offender. In your own home (England & Wales), force is only unlawful if "grossly disproportionate." Outside the home, it must simply be "reasonable" (stricter). You can use an object as an improvised weapon IF you are under actual attack and the force is proportionate — but pre-arming yourself "in case" and carrying it in public is an offence. The law does NOT require you to wait to be attacked first — you can strike pre-emptively if you honestly and instinctively believe it's necessary. But once the threat is over (they're running away), you MUST stop. Chasing and attacking a retreating intruder turns you into the criminal. Best defence: avoid, retreat, lock in, call police.

What you can legally keep at home for self-defence (no licence)

Personal safety alarm (loud, 130 dB — attracts attention, disorients) £5–£15

Door wedge / door brace (barricade, not a weapon)

Heavy torch (Maglite-style — a legitimate light that can be used to strike if attacked; carrying a torch in public is legal, carrying a "weapon" is not)

Walking stick / umbrella (legitimate items; can be used if attacked)

Fire extinguisher (can be discharged at an attacker's face as a distraction — but CO₂ can cause injury; use as last resort)

Dog (a barking dog is the #1 deterrent; a large breed — legal, no licence)

Prohibited items — never possess, even at home
Knives: flick knives, gravity knives, butterfly knives, zombie knives, disguised knives (lipstick knife, belt buckle), swords (curved blade over 50 cm — samurai swords banned), batons (straight, telescopic, friction lock), CS/pepper spray, Mace, stun guns/Tasers (classed as firearms — 10-year prison), knuckledusters, shuriken (throwing stars), blowpipes. Possession in private of some is allowed for antiques/curios, but carrying in public is always an offence. When in doubt, don't buy it.

6.3 Communications When the Phone Network Dies

Mobile networks fail from overload (everyone calls at once), tower power loss (batteries last 4–24 hrs), or physical damage. Have a layered comms plan.

Figure 6.1 — Comms hierarchy. Start at the bottom (always works) and build up. Every household should have at least PMR446 radios (4-pack, £30–£60) and a wind-up radio for BBC Radio 4/5 Live (longwave 198 kHz survives when FM masts lose power).

Practical comms kit list

Wind-up / solar DAB/FM/LW radio (Roberts / Duronic, £25–£60) — BBC Radio 4 Long Wave 198 kHz is the UK's emergency broadcast fallback; also 5 Live 909/693 kHz MW.

PMR446 radios ×4 (licence-free, 8 channels + sub-channels) — agree a channel & schedule with your group ("check in 8am and 8pm on channel 3").

Ham radio Foundation licence (free online exam, £30 course) — opens VHF/UHF; Intermediate/Full for HF. A Baofeng UV-5R (technically needs licence for transmit; listen-only is fine) costs £30.

Power bank(s) 20,000 mAh+ ×2; solar charger panel (10–20 W, £30) to keep phones/radios topped.

Spare phone (old smartphone loaded with offline maps: OS Maps offline, Google Maps offline, maps.me) — no SIM needed for GPS.

Whistle (pea-less, £3) on every coat; signal mirror (heliograph, £5) for line-of-sight over distance.

Printed phone tree: neighbours, family, GP, council, power/water companies, radio frequencies.

6.4 Bug-Out Bags & Vehicle Prep

The 25 kg rule (you must carry it — pack light)

A bug-out bag (BOB) / grab bag / 72-hour kit is for evacuating on foot to a safe location (friend, family, rest centre). It should weigh no more than 20–25% of body weight — 15 kg max for most adults. Children carry their own small bag (toys, snack, water bottle) — not survival gear.

BOB contents (per adult)

Water: 2–3 L (bladder + bottle), water filter (Sawyer Squeeze / LifeStraw), chlorine dioxide tablets ×30

Food: 3 days high-calorie (energy bars, trail mix, tinned with ring-pull, chocolate), stove (Trangia/alcohol + fuel), metal mug, spork

Shelter/warmth: Bivvy bag or bothy bag (group), tent if strong, sleeping bag (3-season), roll mat, extra base layer, waterproofs, hat/gloves, spare socks ×2

Fire: Lighter ×2 (sealed), ferro rod, fire starters (cotton wool + vaseline), tinder

First aid: Level 1 kit + personal meds + blister care (compeed)

Tools: Folding knife (legal at home — but carrying in public requires good reason; a multi-tool with <3" non-locking blade is safer), paracord 550 (15 m), duct tape (small roll), headlamp + spare batteries, whistle, compass + paper map, phone + power bank

Documents/money: Cash £100+ in small notes, ID copies, insurance, house deeds, family photos (digital on USB + printed), pen & paper

Hygiene: Toothbrush/paste, soap, flannel, toilet paper (small roll in bag), hand sanitiser, tampons/pads (also good fire tinder/wound dressing), small towel

Misc: N95 mask, goggles, gloves, bin bags (×4 — shelter, rain, waterproofing), emergency foil blanket ×2

Vehicle prep (if you drive out)

Keep tank ≥½ full always (fuel stations run dry in crises; pumps need electricity).

Car kit: jump leads, tow rope, shovel, blanket, hi-vis vest, warning triangle, tyre inflator/sealant, water (5 L), food (2 days), torch, first aid, phone charger, maps (paper — OS Landranger for your region), wellies, spare fuel can (5 L, approved, stored in boot NOT cabin).

EV owners: charging plan — in a grid-down event, EVs are stranded. Have a backup (bike, public transport, neighbour with diesel).

Bicycles: the most reliable UK transport in fuel collapse. Keep 1 working bike per person, pump, spare inner tubes, repair kit, panniers. A cargo bike carries 50 kg.

6.5 Evacuation Planning (UK-Specific Routes)

The decision: shelter-in-place vs bug-out

Shelter in place if: danger is outside (riot, pandemic, fallout, storm) and your home is safe, stocked, and defensible. Bug out only if: staying is more dangerous than leaving (flood advancing, fire, chemical plume, home uninhabitable, utilities down indefinitely and you have a safe destination). Bugging out is a LAST resort — the road is dangerous, fuel is scarce, and you leave your stores behind. Have a pre-agreed rendezvous point (primary + secondary) and a destination (friend/family within 50 miles, ideally rural with water and power independence). Never bug out to "somewhere" — aimlessness kills.

Route planning

Primary route: fastest, by car. Mark petrol stations (keep list), bridges, low points (flood risk).

Secondary route: avoiding motorways (gridlock) — A-roads and B-roads. Motorways in evacuation become car parks.

Tertiary route: by bicycle or on foot — canals, railway paths (disused), bridleways, footpaths. OS map marked.

Plan around UK choke points: river crossings (few), motorway junctions, city centres, tunnels (Dartford, Blackwall, Mersey, Severn), coast ferry ports.

Timing: leave EARLY — before the official evacuation order if you can see it coming. The first 10% move freely; the last 90% are stuck.

07
Critical Societal Collapse — Extended Scenarios

About this part
This section covers what most preppers mean by "SHTF" — a critical event severe enough that normal society stops functioning for weeks, months, or permanently. Everything in Parts 1–6 still applies; this part adds the extra layers: cascading failure, law and order breakdown, economic collapse, barter, community defence, and long-term rebuilding. Read it calmly — preparation reduces fear.

7.1 Scenario Timelines & Cascading Failure

Modern civilisation runs on interconnected systems. When one fails, others fail in sequence. Understanding the cascade tells you what to expect and when.

Time after grid/fuel failure What happens What you do

Hour 0–6 Lights out; mobile networks overload then fail; traffic lights off; lifts/tubes stuck; people go home Assess: is this local or national? Gather family, fill water containers, fridge stays cold if closed. Tune to Radio 4 LW.

Hour 6–24 Supermarkets looted if unrest; petrol stations closed (pumps need power); water pressure drops (pumps need power); sewer pumping stations fail; hospitals on generators Stay home. Secure doors. Do NOT join crowds. Top up water from tap if still flowing. Cook perishables first. Group check-in.

Day 1–3 Supermarket shelves empty (JIT supply = 3 days food on shelves); fresh food gone; cash machines empty; no online; people anxious; some looting in cities You have 2 weeks+ stores — stay calm, stay quiet (OPSEC). Ration water to 4 L/person/day. Warm room strategy. Neighbour check (carefully).

Day 3–14 Hospital generators fail (fuel runs out); sewage backs up; diarrhoea outbreaks; police overstretched; some areas no patrols; petrol scarce; rubbish piles; people leave cities looking for food/water Neighbourhood watch forms. Security posture increases. Consider bug-out ONLY if your area becomes unsafe. Hygiene discipline is now life-or-death. ORS for any diarrhoea.

Week 2–8 If grid still down: fuel for emergency services exhausted; food distribution collapsed; law enforcement thin; informal local governance emerges; some violence around resources; rural areas safer than cities Community group solidifies (see 7.6). Barter begins. Start/expand growing. Defend water source. Keep OPSEC. Avoid travel.

Month 2+ (prolonged) Long-term: currency may lose value; barter economy; skills become currency; population movement from cities; some areas controlled by local groups; infrastructure slowly repaired IF parts/fuel available Long-term sustainability mode (7.7). Preserve knowledge (books, seeds, skills). Defensible space. Trade carefully. Plan for years, not weeks.

7.2 Prolonged Grid-Down (Weeks to Months)

The UK grid is reasonably robust but vulnerable to: solar storms (Carrington-class events), coordinated cyber-attack on the National Grid control systems, physical attack on substations (a handful of key 400 kV substations could take months to rebuild — transformers are custom-built, 18-month lead time), or fuel supply failure to power stations. A multi-week grid-down event is the single most likely "critical" scenario.

What fails, in order (and how to compensate)

Lighting/heating/cooking (electric): → LED + off-grid power (4.3); wood stove / solid fuel (4.2); gas camping stove / rocket stove (3.6).

Water: Most UK homes get water by gravity from reservoirs (works without power!) — but pumping stations for low-lying areas and sewage treatment stop. → Store water (Chapter 2); bucket toilet (5.3); if your tap stops, you have stored + rainwater.

Food: Supermarkets empty in 3 days; no resupply. → Your pantry (Chapter 3) + growing (3.4) + foraging (3.5).

Refrigeration: Eat fridge food first (24–48 hrs), then freezer (48–72 hrs if closed). Cook and eat or preserve (dehydrate/smoke) freezer food. → 12V compressor fridge off solar if you have it.

Communications: Mobile masts die in 4–24 hrs. → Radio (6.3), runners.

Transport: Petrol pumps need power; fuel runs out in days. → Bike, walk, diesel vehicle if you stored fuel (diesel keeps longer than petrol — 6–12 months with stabiliser; petrol 3–6 months).

Sanitation: Sewage pumps stop. →
The bucket toilet + careful waste (5.3).

Medical: Hospitals on generators for 72 hrs, then fuel. → Your first aid + meds stock (Chapter 5); know your conditions; home care.

Security: Police overstretched. → Neighbourhood mutual defence (7.6); hardening (6.1); avoid confrontation.

Money: Cards/ATMs down. → Cash (small notes), barter (7.5).

The 72-hour generator myth
Almost every "emergency" system (hospitals, masts, water pumps, traffic) has a backup generator with 24–72 hours of fuel. After that, it needs refuelling — which requires working fuel trucks, which require working pumps, which require power. The 72-hour mark is when society's safety net truly ends. Your preparations must cover BEYOND 72 hours.

7.3
7.3 Economic Collapse, Hyperinflation & Currency Failure

Hyperinflation (Weimar Germany 1923, Zimbabwe 2008, Venezuela 2016–2019) means money loses value by the hour. Wages become worthless; savings vanish; pensions buy nothing. The UK has not had hyperinflation but has had high inflation (25% in 1975). Protection:

Wealth preservation: Don't keep all savings in cash in the bank. Diversify: physical gold/silver (coins — Britannia, Sovereign — legal tender, no VAT on gold in UK), useful goods (tools, seeds, fuel, food — they hold value and you can use them), skills (they can't be inflated away), property/land (if you can afford), small amount of cash on hand (£500–£2,000 in small notes — for the transition period before barter kicks in).

Debt: In hyperinflation, fixed-rate debt is wiped out (you repay with worthless money) — but variable rates skyrocket. If you have a mortgage, fixed-rate is safer in inflation; but if you lose your income, any debt is dangerous. Keep 6 months expenses in accessible form.

Spend fast, slow later: In inflation, spend depreciating cash quickly on hard goods; in deflation, hold cash. Know which you're in. Watch the price of bread — if it doubles in a month, convert cash to goods immediately.

Income diversity: Skills that are always needed: plumbing, electrical, carpentry, medical, food growing, repair (shoes, bikes, small engines), butchery, baking. These become currency.

7.4 Civil Unrest, Rioting & Neighbourhood Defence

UK civil unrest (2011 riots, fuel protests, occasional city centre disorder) is usually short, local, and police-restored. In a prolonged collapse, disorder can persist. Principles:

Do not be there. Avoid city centres, known flashpoints. If trouble flares, go home, lock doors, stay away from windows. Curfew yourself after dark.

Neighbourhood agreement: Pre-arranged (now, not during crisis) with 5–10 nearby households: contact list, check-in schedule, who has what (generator, medical, tools), agreed defensive posture (visible presence on street, numbers deter). A group standing on a doorstep is a deterrent; one person alone is a target.

Barricade: Cars across the street end (with neighbour agreement), bins, planters — slow vehicle access. Remove projectiles from your street (bricks, bottles). Keep your own property tidy — looters go where it's easy.

Light & noise: Solar PIR lights on; whistles & air horns (loud = attention = deterrent). A community siren/whistle signal (3 long blasts = trouble) agreed in advance.

Use of force: Defending your home and neighbours with reasonable force is legal. Do not form an armed vigilante group — that becomes the target of police (when they return) and of worse groups. Defend, don't patrol aggressively.

When to leave: If your neighbourhood is burning, if a hostile group takes over the area, if you're targeted specifically — bug out to your pre-arranged destination. Leave before you're trapped.

7.5
7.5 EMP / Severe Solar Flare (CME) & Faraday Cages

An EMP (nuclear high-altitude) or severe CME (coronal mass ejection — solar storm, like 1859 Carrington Event or 1989 Quebec blackout) induces massive currents in long conductors (power lines, transformers, phone lines), frying the grid. Small battery devices (phones, radios) usually survive if not plugged in and not in long cables. The grid is the real victim — recovery could take months to years because large transformers are custom-built.

Protect your electronics — build a
Protect your electronics — build a Faraday cage

Figure 7.1 — Nested
Protect your electronics — build a Faraday cage
. A metal bin with a tight lid, lined with cardboard, containing a foil-wrapped box of devices, costs £20. Store one in the loft/garage. Include: spare old smartphone (offline maps), ham/PMR radio, power bank, USB stick with documents, spare LED torches, shortwave radio.

Unplug everything during a solar storm warning (Met Office Space Weather issues alerts; NOAA alerts). Disconnect antennas, phone lines, ethernet.

Keep spare electronics in
Protect your electronics — build a Faraday cage
(above). One working radio + phone after an event = huge advantage.

Vehicle: modern cars with ECUs may be fried; older diesel (pre-2000, mechanical injection) survives. Keep a bike. It's the most EMP-proof transport.

Don't over-fear EMP: a Carrington-level CME hits Earth roughly once every 100–200 years; a nuclear EMP requires a state actor and would be an act of war. Prepare proportionately — a £20
Protect your electronics — build a Faraday cage
is cheap insurance.

7.6 Barter Economy & Community Building

What holds value in a collapse (trade goods)

Tier Goods Why

High value (always wanted) Clean water, fuel (petrol/diesel/paraffin), medicines (antibiotics, painkillers, insulin), seeds (open-pollinated), salt, sugar, tobacco, alcohol, coffee/tea, batteries (AA/AAA), ammunition (if legal — not in UK), soap, toilet paper Consumable, essential, hard to make

Medium value Tools (knives, axes, hand tools), nails/screws, rope/paracord, duct tape, cloth/thread/needles, shoes, candles, matches/lighters, vitamins, first aid supplies, baby supplies (nappies, formula) Useful, durable

Low / luxury Chocolate, sweets, spices, books, games, toiletries (shampoo, razors), alcohol (also high), fuel for lighters Morale, small trades

Best "currency" of all SKILLS: medical, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, repair, butchery, baking, midwifery, security, growing Never runs out, always in demand, can't be stolen

Barter safety rules
Never reveal your full stock. Trade small amounts, from a "limited" supply ("I can spare a little"). Trade at a neutral location, not your home (don't lead people back to your stores). Bring a companion. Accept only what you can carry/use. Fair trade builds reputation; cheating makes enemies. In a prolonged collapse, your reputation is your most valuable asset.

Building your community group (do this NOW)

Identify 4–8 nearby households (within walking distance) you trust. Start with neighbours you already know.

Meet casually (not as "preppers" — as "neighbourhood resilience group," "flood prep group," "warm hub planning"). OPSEC: don't advertise stockpiles.

Map skills & resources: who has first aid, who has a generator/water butt/garden/wood stove/tools/4×4, who has elderly/children/medical needs.

Agree: check-in schedule, comms channel (PMR446 channel + phone tree), rendezvous points, who checks on vulnerable neighbours, basic shared stores (a community tool shed, shared first aid).

Plan together: flood plan, power-cut plan, snow plan, evacuation plan. A group that has practised together works together in a crisis.

Roles: coordinator, security, medical, water/food, comms, transport, vulnerable-person liaison. Rotate; no single point of failure.

7.7 Long-Term Sustainability & Rebuilding

If society doesn't come back quickly (months→years), you transition from "surviving" to "living." Key systems:

Food independence: ¼ acre (100 m²) of intensive garden + fruit trees + chickens (3 hens = 18 eggs/week, legal in most UK areas without planning if kept clean & not for commercial sale; cockerels often banned by council noise rules) + bees (honey — valuable trade good, pollination) can feed a family. Learn permaculture: food forest, no-dig, companion planting, composting (humanure if safe — see 5.3), rainwater capture (Chapter 2).

Energy independence: Solar + wind + battery (4.3) + wood fuel (manage a coppice — hazel/pollard willow, sustainable harvest cycle 7–15 years). A well-managed woodland heats a house forever.

Water independence: Rainwater + well/borehole (if you have land — borehole licence? Up to 20 m³/day without abstraction licence) + gravity feed + slow-sand filter. A spring is gold.

Knowledge preservation: Books (printed — internet may be down). Core library: Where There Is No Doctor, SAS Survival Handbook, John Seymour's Self-Sufficiency, seed-saving guide, repair manuals (engine, bike, tractor), medical textbooks, OS maps, local history (where wells, springs, woodlands are). Store a USB + printed copies in
Protect your electronics — build a Faraday cage
.

Education of children: Reading, writing, maths (essential), plus practical: gardening, animal care, carpentry, sewing, cooking, first aid, navigation. The generation that survives must be able to rebuild.

Governance & rules: Small groups work on consensus. Agree rules early: property, sharing, dispute resolution, marriage/family, defence. Write them down. Fairness prevents collapse of the group — the #1 cause of group failure is internal conflict, not external threat.

Trade & wider networks: Re-establish trade with nearby villages/towns. Specialise (you grow grain, they mill, another smiths). Division of labour = prosperity. Markets re-emerge quickly when safe.

The final truth
Societal collapse is rare and usually temporary. The UK has survived two world wars, the Blitz, the 1970s three-day week, fuel protests, and a pandemic — and society held. The most likely "critical event" you will face is a 3-day storm or a 2-week flood. Prepare for that thoroughly, and the big stuff takes care of itself. Resilience is built in community, not in isolation. A prepper who helps their neighbours is safer than a prepper who hides from them.

08
Appendices, Checklists & Index

Appendix A — Master Checklists (Tick as you complete)

A1. 72-Hour Grab Bag (per person) — target: this weekend

Backpack (15–25 L, comfortable)
Water 2 L + filter + purification tablets
Food 3 days (no-cook, high calorie)
Warm clothes + waterproofs + spare socks
Sleeping bag + bivvy/bothy bag
Head torch + spare batteries
First aid (Level 1) + personal meds
Whistle, compass, paper map, phone + power bank
Lighter + ferro rod + tinder
Toilet paper, soap, toothbrush, lady products
Cash £50+ small notes, ID copies, pen/paper
Bin bags ×3, paracord 10 m, duct tape (small)

A2. Two-Week Home Kit — target: 2 months

Water: 56 L/person stored + rotation
Food: 14 days meals family (see 3.2 list)
Cooking: stove + fuel (indoor-safe option + outdoor)
Lighting: LED torches ×4, wind-up lantern, candles
Warmth: blankets, hot-water bottles, warm room plan
First aid Level 2 + meds stock 1 month
Sanitation: bucket toilet setup + bin bags + sawdust
Radio: wind-up FM/LW + PMR446 ×2
Power: power bank ×2 + solar charger 10 W
Documents: folder (passports, insurance, deeds, meds list)
House: stopcock location known, insulation done, door locks upgraded
Family plan: rendezvous points, out-of-area contact, evacuation routes

A3. Three-Month Store — target: 6 months

Water: 360 L/person + rainwater harvesting + filter
Food: 3 months pantry (see 3.2) + Mylar buckets for staples
Seeds + garden started (or allotment)
Off-grid power: 200–400 W solar + battery + inverter
Heating: wood stove or solid-fuel option + fuel stock (1 tonne logs = ~1 winter backup)
First aid Level 3 (trauma) + meds 3 months + prescriptions buffer
Security: door/window upgrades, PIR lights, CCTV or dummy, safe room
Comms: ham licence (Foundation), PMR446 ×4, offline maps on spare phone
Vehicle: ≥½ tank always, car kit, bike per person
Community: resilience group formed (4+ households), skills mapped
Protect your electronics — build a Faraday cage
built with spare electronics
Barter goods stock (toilet paper, soap, batteries, salt, sugar, tobacco/alcohol)

Appendix B — UK Emergency Contacts & Useful Suppliers

Service Contact

Emergency (police/ambulance/fire) 999 or 112

NHS non-emergency 111

Power cut (UK) 105 (free, connects to your network operator)

Water emergency Your water company (store number); general 0800 numbers vary

Gas emergency (smell gas) 0800 111 999 (National Grid)

Flood warning (Env Agency) 0345 988 1188; floodline; check long-term flood risk online

Met Office weather warnings 0871 222 3000 (or app); severe weather warnings 0906 900 0100

BBC Radio (emergency broadcast) Radio 4: LW 198 kHz, FM varies; Radio 5 Live: 909/693 kHz MW

Ofcom (radio licensing) Ham licence via RSGB exams; PMR446/CB no licence

Citizens Advice 0808 250 5700 (England/Wales); 0808 800 9060 (Scotland)

UK suppliers (high street & online)

Prepping/survival: Military Kit, Silvermans, Surplus & Outdoors, Amazon (broad), eBay (surplus)
Water filters: Doulton (ceramic), Berkey-type, Sawyer, LifeStraw (outdoor shops: Go Outdoors, Decathlon)
Long-term food: B&M, Home Bargains, Costco (bulk), freeze-dried from specialist UK firms
Mylar bags/O₂ absorbers/buckets: eBay, Amazon, home-brew shops, agricultural merchants
Solar/off-grid: Off-Grid Energy, Solar Technology (Oxford), Maplin (online), eBay (panels)
Wood stoves: Clearview, Stovax, Charnwood — HETAS-registered installer required
Seeds: Real Seeds (open-pollinated), Seed Co-operative, Thompson & Morgan (organic range), Kings Seeds
First aid: St John Ambulance shop, British Red Cross shop, Boots, MediKit UK
Radios: Moonraker, Waters & Stanton (ham), Baofeng via eBay (listen-only without licence)

Appendix C — Knots, Conversions & Reference

Five knots every prepper must know

Figure-8 (stopper / follow-through): Form a loop, pass the working end behind the standing part, and then down through the loop. Tied in rope end to stop it pulling through; follow-through = strong loop for climbing/harness. Never slips. Most important knot.

Bowline: Form a small loop in the standing part, pass the working end up through the loop, around behind the standing part, and back down through the loop. Fixed loop that won't slip — rescue, tying around a person/tree, mooring. "Rabbit comes out of hole, around tree, back down hole."

Clove hitch: Pass the end around the post, cross it over itself, pass it around the post again, and tuck the end under the last wrap. Quick tie-off to post/pole; used in lashings. Add two half-hitches to secure.

Sheet bend: Form a bight (a 'U' shape) in the thicker rope. Pass the end of the thinner rope up through the bight, around behind both parts of the thicker rope, and back under itself. Joins two ropes of different thicknesses. Double sheet bend for slippery/synthetic rope. Essential for repair.

Round turn & two half-hitches: Wrap the rope fully around the pole (round turn), then pass the working end around the standing part and through the loop formed (half-hitch). Repeat to form a second half-hitch. Secure tie-off to tree/ring — shelters, tarps, towing. Holds under load and unties easily.

Conversions & useful numbers

Imperial Metric

1 inch (in) 25.4 mm

1 foot (ft) 30.48 cm

1 mile (mi) 1.609 km

1 pound (lb) 0.454 kg

1 gallon (imperial) 4.546 litres

09
Alphabetical Index

Full Alphabetical Index (click to jump)

Abstraction licence (water)

Antibiotics (stock)

Barter goods

Batteries (stock)

Bleach (water disinfection)

BOB / grab bag

Bread (baking)

Bug-out decision

Bug-out routes (UK)

The bucket toilet

Carbon monoxide danger

Canning / pressure

Cascading failure timeline

CCTV law

Chlorine dioxide

Civil unrest

Comms hierarchy

Community group building

CPAP / medical power

Dehydrating food

Diarrhoea / ORS

Door security (locks)

Economic collapse

EMP / CME

Evacuation plan

Protect your electronics — build a Faraday cage
(build)

Flood defence

Food storage pyramid

Foraging (UK calendar)

Fuel storage law

Gas emergency number

Gold/silver (wealth)

Growing food (UK)

Ham radio licence

Home security layers

Honey (indefinite)

Hyperinflation

Hypothermia

Insulation (heat loss)

Knots (5 essential)

Layering (clothing)

Lighting off-grid

Mylar & O₂ absorbers

Neighbourhood defence

NHS 111

Off-grid power sizing

ORS (oral rehydration)

Pandemic / isolation

Pantry (2-week list)

PMR446 radios

Power cut number (105)

Prescription stockpiling law

Prohibited weapons (UK)

Rainwater harvesting

Reasonable force (law)

Rice (30yr storage)

Rotation (FIFO)

Sanitation (collapse)

Seeds (open-pollinated)

Self-defence (UK law)

Shelter-in-place vs bug-out

SODIS (solar)

Solar (UK output)

Space weather / solar storm

Stopcock (find yours)

Suppliers (UK)

Threat matrix (UK)

Toilet (bucket)

Tourniquet / trauma kit

UK law summary

Water (emergency sources)

Water (storage)

Water filtration (4-stage)

Warm room strategy

Weevils (freezer trick)

Wood stove (HETAS)

Wool (base layer)

10
Offline Searchable Map of Great Britain

10.1 Searchable OS Map — Pan, Zoom & Find Any Place

This map is fully offline: all 56 Ordnance Survey 1:250,000 raster tiles and a 25,000-place gazetteer are stored alongside this guide. No internet connection is required once the page is open. Use it to plan bug-out routes, mark your home and rendezvous points, and find water sources, roads, and terrain when phone networks are down.

Click map to drop a pin & read grid reference

Loading tiles…

How to use the offline map

Search: Type a place name in the box — results filter as you type. Click a result to fly there and drop a pin.

Pan: Click and drag (or one-finger drag on touch).

Zoom: Mouse wheel, pinch on touch, or the +/− buttons. "GB" resets to the whole country.

Grid reference: Click anywhere on the map to drop a red pin and see the British National Grid reference (6-figure, 100 m precision) plus easting/northing — write these on your paper maps and in your evacuation plan.

Prepper tip: Search your home, your primary and secondary rendezvous points, and your bug-out destination. Note their grid refs. Mark water sources (rivers, reservoirs), high ground, and major roads — all visible on the 1:250,000 layer.

Tile legend
Ordnance Survey 1:250,000 colours: green = woodland/forest, yellow/orange = A-roads & motorways, blue = water (rivers, lakes, sea), thin grey = minor roads, brown = contours/hills, pink = urban areas. The full legend PDF is included in the map data folder (doc/250k legend 2026 RGB.pdf).

Fitch's UK Prepper's Comprehensive Guide — 520-page illustrated handbook · Compiled October 2026

This guide is for education and resilience planning. Always follow current UK law; medical and legal content is general guidance, not a substitute for professional advice. Tick boxes are saved in this browser only. Print key sections and store with your documents.

Month	What's available (UK-wide)
Jan–Feb	Nettles (young tops), chickweed, rosehips (last), hazelnuts (stored), sea beet
Mar–Apr	Wild garlic (ramsons), three-cornered leek, dandelion leaves, young nettles, primrose, wild plum blossom
May–Jun	Elderflowers (cordial/champagne), hawthorn leaves, gooseberries, wild strawberries, alexanders, samphire (coastal)
Jul–Aug	Blackberries (start), raspberries, wild cherries, elderberries (start), hazelnuts (green), wild thyme, marjoram
Sep–Oct	Blackberries (peak), elderberries, sloes (after first frost), bullaces, crab apples, rosehips, sweet chestnuts, wild mushrooms (edible: cep, chanterelle, field mushroom — with expert ID)
Nov–Dec	Haws, rosehips, sloes, sweet chestnuts, pine cones (pine needle tea), ivy (not edible — for bees)

Method	Fuel	Cost	Indoor safe?	Notes
Rocket stove	Sticks, twigs, scrap wood	£40–£120 (or DIY from bricks/cans)	No — outdoor/well vented	Very efficient, 10 sticks boils a litre
Trangia / alcohol stove	Methylated spirit / bioethanol	£30–£80	Yes (with care, no fumes)	Slow but safe indoors; fuel stores well (sealed)
Gas camping stove (Campingaz / screw-in)	Butane/propane canisters	£20–£60	No — CO risk	Butane fails below ~2°C; use propane mix in winter
Wood-burning stove (permanent)	Logs, briquettes	£800–£2,500 installed (HETAS)	Yes — with flue	Also heats a room; best single prep for UK winters
Haybox / wonderbag (thermal cooking)	None (retained heat)	£0 DIY (box + blankets)	Yes	Bring to boil, insulate 2–4 hrs; saves 80% fuel
Solar oven	Sun	£50–£200	Outdoor	UK summer only; slow (2–4 hrs)
Barbecue / fire pit	Charcoal/wood	—	Never indoors	Charcoal stores indefinitely dry; never use indoors — CO kills silently

Option	Fuel / runtime	Cost	Indoor safe	Best for
Wood-burning / multi-fuel stove	Logs — 1 stove = 5–8 kW; 1–2 logs/hr	£800–£2,500 + install	Yes (flued)	Primary heat + cooking; best UK prep
Portable gas heater (butane/propane cabinet)	15 kg cylinder ~50 hrs on low	£60–£120 + £30/cylinder refill	With ventilation; CO risk	Backup; keep window cracked 1 cm
Paraffin heater (e.g. Aladdin, Toyotomi)	Paraffin — 4 L ~ 12 hrs	£150–£350	With ventilation; fumes	Reliable Japanese design; store fuel safely
Calor gas / LPG	Butane (winter: propane)	—	With flue/vent	Also for cooking & fridge
Electric heater (off-grid)	Needs big battery/generator	—	Yes	Only if you have serious solar/battery
Candles / terracotta pot heater	Tealights — minimal heat	£5 DIY	Fire risk	Last resort; not a real heater

Device	Watts	Wh/day (typical use)
LED lighting (5 rooms, 4 hrs)	5–10 W each	100–200 Wh
Mobile phone charging ×4	10 W	40 Wh
Laptop / tablet	50 W	150 Wh
Router (keep internet alive)	10–20 W	240–480 Wh
12V fridge (compressor type)	40–60 W avg	600–1,000 Wh
TV + radio	50–100 W	200–400 Wh
Water pump (12V, intermittent)	100 W	100–200 Wh
CPAP / medical (critical)	30–60 W	240–480 Wh (must have backup)

Item	Quantity (family of 4, 3 months)	For
Paracetamol 500 mg	200 tablets	Pain, fever (max 8/day adult)
Ibuprofen 200 mg	100 tablets	Pain, inflammation (not if asthmatic/ulcer)
Loperamide 2 mg	30 capsules	Diarrhoea (stop if fever/blood)
Oral rehydration salts	30 sachets	Dehydration from diarrhoea/vomiting
Antihistamine (cetirizine)	60 tablets	Allergies, insect bites, anaphylaxis adjunct
Hydrocortisone 1% cream	2 tubes	Eczema, bites, allergic rash (not on face/infection)
Antiseptic (povidone-iodine / chlorhexidine)	2 bottles	Wound cleaning (dilute for deep wounds)
Antifungal cream (clotrimazole)	2 tubes	Athlete's foot, ringworm, thrush
Throat lozenges + cough mixture	Assorted	Symptom relief
Multivitamins (adult + child)	3 months supply	Nutritional gap cover
Electrolyte / salt tablets	50	Heat, heavy sweating

Herb	Use	Caution
Common nettle (Urtica dioica)	Iron-rich tea, soup, tonic; stings treated with dock leaves	Cook or dry before eating
Chamomile (mayweed — careful ID)	Sedative tea, digestive	Aster allergy; correct ID (pineapple weed is safe)
Peppermint / wild mint	Digestive, nausea, tea	Not for young babies
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)	Wound styptic (stops bleeding), fever tea	Not in pregnancy; can cause rash
Plantain (Plantago major/lanceolata)	Chewed leaf on insect bites/stings/wounds; drawing	Very safe; common lawn weed
Comfrey (Symphytum)	Poultice for bruises/sprains (external only)	NEVER internal — liver toxicity; not on broken skin
Willow bark (Salix)	Pain/fever (original aspirin source)	Aspirin allergy; not under 16 (Reye's)
Garlic (wild or cultivated)	Antimicrobial, culinary, immune	Blood-thinning in large doses

Time after grid/fuel failure	What happens	What you do
Hour 0–6	Lights out; mobile networks overload then fail; traffic lights off; lifts/tubes stuck; people go home	Assess: is this local or national? Gather family, fill water containers, fridge stays cold if closed. Tune to Radio 4 LW.
Hour 6–24	Supermarkets looted if unrest; petrol stations closed (pumps need power); water pressure drops (pumps need power); sewer pumping stations fail; hospitals on generators	Stay home. Secure doors. Do NOT join crowds. Top up water from tap if still flowing. Cook perishables first. Group check-in.
Day 1–3	Supermarket shelves empty (JIT supply = 3 days food on shelves); fresh food gone; cash machines empty; no online; people anxious; some looting in cities	You have 2 weeks+ stores — stay calm, stay quiet (OPSEC). Ration water to 4 L/person/day. Warm room strategy. Neighbour check (carefully).
Day 3–14	Hospital generators fail (fuel runs out); sewage backs up; diarrhoea outbreaks; police overstretched; some areas no patrols; petrol scarce; rubbish piles; people leave cities looking for food/water	Neighbourhood watch forms. Security posture increases. Consider bug-out ONLY if your area becomes unsafe. Hygiene discipline is now life-or-death. ORS for any diarrhoea.
Week 2–8	If grid still down: fuel for emergency services exhausted; food distribution collapsed; law enforcement thin; informal local governance emerges; some violence around resources; rural areas safer than cities	Community group solidifies (see 7.6). Barter begins. Start/expand growing. Defend water source. Keep OPSEC. Avoid travel.
Month 2+ (prolonged)	Long-term: currency may lose value; barter economy; skills become currency; population movement from cities; some areas controlled by local groups; infrastructure slowly repaired IF parts/fuel available	Long-term sustainability mode (7.7). Preserve knowledge (books, seeds, skills). Defensible space. Trade carefully. Plan for years, not weeks.

Tier	Goods	Why
High value (always wanted)	Clean water, fuel (petrol/diesel/paraffin), medicines (antibiotics, painkillers, insulin), seeds (open-pollinated), salt, sugar, tobacco, alcohol, coffee/tea, batteries (AA/AAA), ammunition (if legal — not in UK), soap, toilet paper	Consumable, essential, hard to make
Medium value	Tools (knives, axes, hand tools), nails/screws, rope/paracord, duct tape, cloth/thread/needles, shoes, candles, matches/lighters, vitamins, first aid supplies, baby supplies (nappies, formula)	Useful, durable
Low / luxury	Chocolate, sweets, spices, books, games, toiletries (shampoo, razors), alcohol (also high), fuel for lighters	Morale, small trades
Best "currency" of all	SKILLS: medical, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, repair, butchery, baking, midwifery, security, growing	Never runs out, always in demand, can't be stolen

Service	Contact
Emergency (police/ambulance/fire)	999 or 112
NHS non-emergency	111
Power cut (UK)	105 (free, connects to your network operator)
Water emergency	Your water company (store number); general 0800 numbers vary
Gas emergency (smell gas)	0800 111 999 (National Grid)
Flood warning (Env Agency)	0345 988 1188; floodline; check long-term flood risk online
Met Office weather warnings	0871 222 3000 (or app); severe weather warnings 0906 900 0100
BBC Radio (emergency broadcast)	Radio 4: LW 198 kHz, FM varies; Radio 5 Live: 909/693 kHz MW
Ofcom (radio licensing)	Ham licence via RSGB exams; PMR446/CB no licence
Citizens Advice	0808 250 5700 (England/Wales); 0808 800 9060 (Scotland)

Imperial	Metric
1 inch (in)	25.4 mm
1 foot (ft)	30.48 cm
1 mile (mi)	1.609 km
1 pound (lb)	0.454 kg
1 gallon (imperial)	4.546 litres

Fitch's UK Prepper'sComprehensive Guide

Foreword: Why This Guide Exists

Full Table of Contents

Chapter 1 · Foundations & Mindset

Chapter 2 · Water — Priority One

Chapter 3 · Food & Nutrition

Chapter 4 · Shelter, Warmth & Power

Chapter 5 · Health, Hygiene & Medical

Chapter 6 · Security, Comms & Evacuation

Chapter 7 · Critical Societal Collapse

Chapter 8 · Appendices

Chapter 9 · Index

Chapter 10 · Offline Map

Foundations & Mindset

1.1 What Prepping Actually Is

The five pillars of resilience

1.2 UK Threat Assessment Matrix

The 3/3/3 rule and the 72-hour baseline

1.3 UK Law Every Prepper Must Know

1.4 The Phased Plan & Budgeting

Budget method: the £10/week rule

1.5 Mindset, OPSEC & Skills Inventory

The skills ladder (learn one per season)

Water — The Number One Priority

2.1 Requirements & the Maths

2.2 Storage Systems & Rotation

Container rules

Storage options (UK-available)

2.3 Rainwater Harvesting (UK Legal & Practical)

How to build a basic system

2.4 Filtration Methods (Removes Particles & Cysts)

2.5 Purification & Disinfection (Kills Microbes)

Bleach method (most available in the UK)

Chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) — best for stockpiling

SODIS (solar disinfection) — free, UK-usable in summer

2.6 Emergency Water Sources (When the Tap Runs Dry)

Food & Nutrition

3.1 Calories & Nutrition Maths

The macronutrient balance target

3.2 Building the Pantry in Phases

Two-week store (per person) — start here

Three-month store — add these

Shelf-life reference table (store cool, dark, airtight)

3.3 Long-Term Packaging:

3.3 Long-Term Packaging: Mylar, Oxygen Absorbers & Buckets

Step-by-step: bucket a 25 kg sack of rice

3.4 Growing Food in the UK Climate

The "survival eight" UK crops (calories per m² per year)

Space-efficient method: the 4-bed rotation

3.5 Preserving, Foraging, Hunting & Fishing

Preserving methods ranked by UK practicality

UK foraging — safe, legal, seasonal

Hunting & fishing — UK legal framework

3.6 Cooking Without Power

Shelter, Warmth & Power

4.1 Home Hardening & Flood Defence

Insulation & draught-proofing (cuts heating need by 30–50%)

Flood defence (if at risk — check Environment Agency)

4.2 Heating Without Gas or Electricity

The warm-room strategy

Heating options ranked

4.3 Off-Grid Power — Sized for the UK Sun

System components (in order)

Essential loads to power (watts)

4.4 Lighting & Cooking Fuel

4.5 Cold Survival & Clothing Layers

Health, Hygiene & Medical

5.1 First Aid Kits — Three Levels

Level 1: Personal (in every bag, pocket-sized)

Level 2: Household (under-stairs, comprehensive)

Level 3: Trauma / prolonged-crisis add-on

5.2 Medicines & Prescription Stockpiling (UK Law)

OTC medicine stock (rotate every 2–3 years)

5.3 Sanitation, Toilets & Waste (The Silent Killer)

The bucket toilet (most reliable UK option)

Greywater & washing

5.4 Pandemic & Biosecurity

The isolation plan (when a bug is going around)

5.5 Mental Health & UK Herbal Medicine

UK wild herbs worth knowing (all grow here)

Fitch's UK Prepper's
Comprehensive Guide