What does the UK Government say to stockpile?

Be Ready asks every household to keep three days of supplies: 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, food that needs no cooking and a tin opener, a torch, a battery or wind-up radio, a charged power bank, cash, copies of documents, medicines and hygiene products, plus baby and pet supplies if you need them.

How much water should I stockpile in the UK?

Three litres per person per day for drinking, so 9 litres for one person for three days and 36 litres for a family of four. Sweden suggests 3 to 5 litres per adult per day for a week.

What should I stockpile in case of war in the UK?

The official advice has no separate list for war. The Be Ready list covers the problems most serious emergencies cause at home: no power, water, signal or card payments. For a radiation emergency, it says to go indoors, close the windows, turn off fans and be ready to stay in for one to two days.

Is it legal to stockpile food in the UK?

Yes. There is no law against it, and the Government advises building supplies up gradually on regular shopping trips rather than all at once.

How much petrol can I store at home in the UK?

Up to 30 litres without telling your local Petroleum Enforcement Authority, in plastic containers of up to 10 litres or metal ones of up to 20 litres, never in your living accommodation.

What to Stockpile in the UK (2026): The Official List, Explained

The official list

On 22 October 2026 the Cabinet Office launched Be Ready, which it calls "the first stage of a three-year campaign", built around "three days of disruption". It replaces the old Prepare website. The Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, put it simply: "Those who can follow this advice should follow this advice." The checklist asks for:

Water: "3 litres per person per day for drinking", for three days.
Food: three days of food that needs no cooking, such as tinned meat, fish or vegetables, dried fruit and nuts, and a tin opener. Buy food you'd normally eat.
Light and news: a torch, and a battery or wind-up FM radio.
Power: a charged power bank.
Money and papers: cash, and copies of important documents.
Medicines, plus hygiene products.
For babies and pets: ready-to-feed formula (you may not be able to boil water), nappies and wipes, and pet food and water.

How much for your household

For three days	1 adult	2 adults	Family of four
Drinking water (3 litres a day each)	9 litres	18 litres	36 litres
Food (about 2,000 to 2,500 kcal a day for an adult)	6,000 to 7,500 kcal	13,500 kcal	About 22,000 kcal
Cash (LINK suggests £50 per adult, £25 per child)	£50	£100	£150

Calorie figures are the NHS's guide for an average man (2,500) and woman (2,000), from its guide to calories; children need less. The cash figure is from LINK, which runs the cash machine network.

Most homes are a long way off. In the Cabinet Office's 2026 survey of 10,791 adults, only 4% had three days of bottled water at three litres per person per day, and 82% had less than a day's worth. 60% had three days of food that needs no cooking.

How the UK compares

Country	Official advice
United Kingdom	Three days (Be Ready)
European Union	"A minimum of 72 hours" (European Commission, March 2025)
Finland	At least 72 hours (Suomi.fi)
Norway	One week, raised from three days in 2024 (DSB)
Sweden	At least a week, with 3 to 5 litres of water per adult per day (MCF)
Germany	Ten days if possible, though even three days helps (BBK)

Does the advice change for war?

Many people now search for what to stockpile "in case of war". The honest answer is that the official list doesn't change. Be Ready's eighteen hazard pages cover power cuts, floods, cyber-attacks, terrorism and radiation, and none of them is about war.

The Government has said more broadly that the country needs to be ready. The 2025 Strategic Defence Review said "nations go to war, not just armed forces" and called for "a whole-of-society approach to deterrence and defence". The National Risk Register includes a conventional attack on the UK mainland among its risks. The Resilience Action Plan of July 2025 announced a Home Defence Programme, and its 2026 progress report plans a national home defence exercise in 2027. In the 2026 survey, 28% of adults thought war was likely to affect their area within two years, up from 19% a year earlier.

For a household, almost every serious emergency comes down to the same few problems: no power, no water, no signal, no card payments and no deliveries. That's what the list covers. For a radiation emergency, the advice is to "go indoors as soon as you can and stay there", close windows, turn off fans, and expect that "you may need to stay indoors for one to two days" (Be Ready).

What not to stockpile, and the legal limits

Petrol. You can keep up to 30 litres at home without telling your local Petroleum Enforcement Authority, in plastic containers of up to 10 litres or metal ones of up to 20 litres, and never in your living accommodation (HSE).
Gas cylinders. Building regulations guidance says cylinders connected to an appliance should stand outside, in a well-ventilated spot at ground level (Approved Document J).
Knives and sprays. Owning a knife at home is fine; carrying most knives in public without good reason isn't, and pepper spray is illegal. Our survival kit guide has the details.
Food you won't eat. Twenty kilos of rice is no use if nobody in the house will cook it in the dark.

Stockpiling food is legal, and the Government's advice is to do it gradually.

How to start without panic buying

"You don't need to do it all at once," the Be Ready checklist says. Add an item or two on your regular shopping trips, and check the expiry dates every six months. Eat the oldest tins and replace them, so the store never goes out of date. Buying steadily also means the shelves stay full for everyone else.

If you'd rather have it done, T+3, The Go Bag covers the whole three-day list for a family of four, with food, 12 litres of sealed water and a filter, light, a wind-up radio, a power bank, first aid and warmth, and the Rotation keeps it in date. Every kit also pays for Neighbour Packs for families who can't afford to stock up.

What to stockpile in the UK: the official list, explained