Prepping
Prepping in the UK: a sensible beginner's guide
Prepping used to mean bunkers and tins in the garage. In 2026 the Government asks every household to do a version of it. Here's how to start sensibly, what most homes are missing, and the UK rules that American prepping guides ignore.
Why people are prepping now
Because the Government has asked them to. On 22 October 2026 it launched Be Ready, a three-year campaign asking every household to be able to manage for three days on its own. The 2025 Strategic Defence Review called for "a whole-of-society approach" to defence, and the 2026 Cabinet Office survey found that 28% of adults think war is likely to affect their area within two years, up from 19% a year before. You don't have to share that fear to see the point. Storms, cyber-attacks on retailers and failures at banks all reached British homes in 2026, and our incident clock logs them.
What most homes are missing
The same survey found only 13% of adults felt their household was largely or totally prepared, and half felt slightly or not at all prepared. The biggest gap is water: only 4% had three days of bottled water at the Government's three litres per person per day, and 82% had less than a day's worth. 29% said a lack of money stopped them preparing, which is why every T-MINUS kit pays for Neighbour Packs.
A plan in three stages
- Three days (the Government's minimum). Water, food that needs no cooking, a torch, a wind-up radio, a power bank, cash, documents and medicines. Our guide to what to stockpile has the quantities.
- A week (Sweden's and Norway's advice). More water and a filter, a stove for outdoor use, warm sleeping bags because most gas boilers stop without power, a bucket toilet, and a written plan for where your family meets if the phones are down.
- A month or more. Power that recharges itself: a solar-charged power station, or backup power wired into the house. A gravity water filter, a store of long-life food, and a way to send a message with no mobile signal, such as a satellite messenger.
Each stage builds on the one before, and most homes should finish stage one before buying anything for stage three.
UK laws preppers should know
- Knives. Carrying a knife in public without good reason is an offence, unless it's a folding knife that doesn't lock with a blade of 3 inches or less. The maximum penalty is four years in prison (GOV.UK).
- Self-defence sprays. Pepper spray is a prohibited weapon (Firearms Act 1968, section 5).
- Petrol. Up to 30 litres at home in approved containers without telling your local authority, and never in your living accommodation (HSE).
- Food. Stockpiling is legal. The Government's advice is to build it up gradually.
What to skip
- A bunker. For almost every British home, a well-stocked house beats a hole in the garden. We compare the costs in doomsday kit vs bunker.
- Weapons, for the reasons above.
- Panic buying. A little each week keeps the shelves full for everyone.
- Anything you won't maintain. A generator nobody has started in two years, or food past its date, is worse than nothing because it gives you false confidence.
Prepping as a neighbour
The Government's message is that if most homes can look after themselves for three days, help can reach the people who can't. Know which neighbours are elderly, unwell or on their own. If anyone in your home relies on power for medical equipment, join your energy network's free Priority Services Register, as Be Ready suggests. And if you'd rather the whole thing was done for you, every T-MINUS kit is assembled to order in London, kept in date by the Rotation, and pays for a family who can't afford to prepare.