Cupboard · What you keep · 10 min read
The UK home emergency kit: what to keep, from £60 to £600
In one line
A good UK home emergency kit is mostly things you already own, kept in one place: bottled water (about 3 litres per person per day), tinned food and a tin opener, a battery or wind-up torch and radio, spare batteries, a charged power bank, a little cash and a few first-aid bits. Start at £60.
Why bother
Most disruption in Britain is ordinary. The power goes off for an evening. A burst main leaves the taps dry for a day or two. Card machines stop working for an afternoon. None of it is frightening if you’ve got a torch you can find, water in the cupboard, and £20 in a drawer.
Plenty of us are partway there already. LINK’s Cash Index found that 49% of people have a battery-powered torch, 47% keep a supply of tinned goods, 37% have a charged power bank in the house, and 17% keep some cash at home. Even among people who had already made a start, only 23% had done anything more in the previous three months (LINK Cash Index, published May 2026).
That’s the whole idea behind this site. You don’t need a basement full of kit. You need a cupboard.
The government’s own advice says you don’t have to buy everything at once: “you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time.” That’s how the three tiers below work.
The £60 weekend kit
This is the version you can put together on a Saturday from a supermarket and a hardware shop. It covers a short power cut, a day or two without mains water, and a spell when cards don’t work. Our £100 weekend checklist turns it into a single tickable shopping trip.
| Item | Why | Quantity per person | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottled water | The WHO minimum is 2.5–3 litres of drinking water per person per day | 9 litres (three days) | ≈ £1.50–£2 per 6 × 1.5 L (typical supermarket price, Aug 2026 — check monthly) |
| Tinned food that needs no cooking | Ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables, as the Prepare campaign suggests | 6–9 tins (three days) | ≈ £1 a tin (typical supermarket price, Aug 2026 — check monthly) |
| Manual tin opener | The Prepare campaign lists it alongside the tins for a reason | 1 per household | ≈ £3 |
| Battery or wind-up torch | Government guidance calls a torch safer than candles | 1 per household, ideally 1 each | ≈ £5–10 |
| Battery or wind-up radio | For updates when the power and internet are off | 1 per household | ≈ £10–15 |
| Spare batteries | For the torch and radio | 1 pack of each size you need | ≈ £4 a pack (typical supermarket price, Aug 2026 — check monthly) |
| Portable power bank | To charge your mobile phone | 1 per household | ≈ £15 |
| Cash | Card readers and cash machines can stop working | £20–40 in small notes and coins — a starter amount; our working standard is around £100, see how much cash to keep at home | £20–40 (it’s still yours) |
Water quantities and containers get a fuller treatment in water storage, and choosing tins you’d genuinely eat is the whole point of emergency food for normal people.
How to store it. Use one box or bag, in one place everyone knows about: the bottom of the under-stairs cupboard, a kitchen cupboard, the top of a wardrobe. Keep the torch nearest the door so you can find it in the dark. Write the number 105 on a sticker on the box: that’s the number to report a power cut in England, Scotland and Wales (03457 643643 in Northern Ireland). Keep the power bank charged; put a reminder on your phone to top it up monthly.
The £200 month-one kit
Give it a month and add the things that make a longer disruption comfortable rather than merely survivable.
| Item | Why | Quantity per person | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everything in the £60 kit | The foundation | — | ≈ £60 |
| First aid kit | The Prepare campaign lists waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash, sterile dressings, gloves, medical tape and tweezers | 1 per household | ≈ £15–25 |
| Head torch | Hands free for cooking, reading, changing a nappy | 1 each | ≈ £8–12 each |
| Camping stove and fuel | A hot drink and a hot meal make a long night much easier. See the safety note below | 1 per household | ≈ £25–40 |
| Several days of your regular medicines | The Prepare campaign advises keeping “enough of the medication you need to keep you going for several days” | Your prescription | Varies; ask your pharmacist |
| Hand sanitiser and wet wipes | “For hygiene purposes when the water is off” | 1 bottle, 1 pack each | ≈ £5 |
| Documents folder | Copies of insurance, prescriptions, key phone numbers, in a waterproof wallet | 1 per household | ≈ £3 |
| More water | Bring the household total up to about a week’s minimum | 20 litres | ≈ £7 (typical supermarket price, Aug 2026 — check monthly) |
Safety note on stoves and generators. Never use a camping stove, barbecue, patio heater or petrol generator indoors, in a garage, or in a tent. They produce carbon monoxide, which you can’t see and which the NHS says does not have any taste or smell (NHS, checked 26 Aug 2026). Cook outside, well away from windows and doors, and keep children well away. If you don’t have outdoor space, skip the stove: tins, crackers, fruit and long-life milk are perfectly fine cold for a few days.
How to store it. The first aid kit lives somewhere you’d reach for it every day, not buried in the emergency box; keep a note in the box saying where it is. Keep the stove and fuel in a shed, garage or outdoor cupboard, not under the sink. Put the documents folder with the kit and add a card that lists your gas, electricity and water shut-off locations: the Prepare campaign asks everyone to know how to turn these off. Check the Priority Services Register at thepsr.co.uk if anyone in your home relies on powered medical equipment, is older, or has a disability; suppliers offer extra support to people on the register.
The £600 ready home
This tier is for households who want a full week’s resilience, or who live somewhere rural, flood-prone, or at the end of a long power line.
| Item | Why | Quantity per person | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everything in the £200 kit | The foundation | — | ≈ £200 |
| Portable power station | Runs a fridge for a few hours, charges laptops and phones, powers a CPAP or a fan. Recharges from the mains or a solar panel | 1 per household | ≈ £250–350 [VERIFY: typical retail price band — compare current listings] |
| Water filter or purification tablets | Makes rainwater, pond or stream water safer to drink if the mains is off for a long time | 1 filter per household, plus tablets | ≈ £30–50 |
| Water storage containers | Enough for the 10 litres per person per day the Prepare campaign says makes you “more comfortable” | 25–50 litres | ≈ £20–40 |
| Warmth | Sleeping bags or blankets, hot water bottles, wool hats | 1 set each | ≈ £40–60 |
How to store it. Keep the power station charged and out of the cold; a hall cupboard rather than a garage. Keep water containers clean and dry with the kit and fill them when you need them. Sign up for free flood warnings at gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings if you’re in England (SEPA covers Scotland, Natural Resources Wales covers Wales); you can choose text, phone call or email. The service doesn’t cover surface water or flash flooding, so watch the forecast in heavy rain regardless.
Special cases
Babies. The Prepare campaign is specific: choose ready-made or “ready-to-feed” formula, because you may not be able to boil water or sterilise bottles. Keep a week of nappies and wipes with the kit, and rotate them as the baby grows.
Pets. Add a week of pet food, a spare lead, and a copy of any vaccination records. Keep the food sealed and dated like the tins.
Older relatives. If a parent or neighbour lives alone, help them build the £60 kit and put their supplier’s power-cut number by the phone. Ask about the Priority Services Register on their behalf. A wind-up torch and radio avoid the “where are the batteries?” problem entirely.
Flats. No garden means no stove, so lean on cold food and a flask filled while the kettle still works. Water is heavy; two 5-litre bottles per person is a sensible ceiling for most cupboards. If you’re above the ground floor and the lifts stop, a lighter kit you can carry down is better than a heavy one you can’t.
Rotation: the twice-a-year check
Tinned food and bottled water both carry best-before dates, and batteries lose charge on the shelf. The easiest habit is to check the kit when the clocks change in March and October.
- Write the purchase month on every tin and bottle with a marker.
- Eat and replace anything within six months of its date.
- Test the torch and radio; swap batteries that are going.
- Charge the power bank and the power station.
- Check the first aid kit for used or out-of-date items.
- Update the documents folder and the medicines.
- Check the cash is still there.
What this asks of your body
The kit is only yours once it is home. Three days of water for one person is 9 litres, and a litre of water weighs a kilogram, so that is a 9 kg carry from the shop or the car, repeated for every person in the house, possibly up stairs. The five Ready Body tests tell you in ten minutes whether that carry is comfortable or a warning sign.
Frequently asked questions
How much water should I keep per person?
The Prepare campaign quotes the WHO minimum of 2.5–3 litres of drinking water per person per day. For basic cooking and washing as well, aim for 10 litres per person per day. Three days at the minimum is 9 litres each; a week at the minimum is about 21 litres each.
How long do tins last?
Best-before dates on tins are about quality, not safety: the Food Standards Agency’s guidance is that food is usually safe to eat after the date, though it may not be at its best. The real risk is a damaged, rusty or bulging tin — bin those. The detail is in how long do tins last.
Can I use candles in a power cut?
You can, but the government’s guidance lists a battery or wind-up torch as the safer choice, and it’s one of the cheapest items in the kit. If you do use candles, keep them in a holder on a hard surface, away from curtains, and never leave them lit in an empty room.
Do I need a generator?
Almost certainly not. A power bank and a wind-up torch cover most power cuts. If you want backup power, a portable power station is quieter, safer and can be used indoors. Petrol generators must only ever run outdoors, well away from windows and doors.
What should be in a 72 hour kit UK households can carry?
The £60 kit, packed into a rucksack: water, tins and opener, torch, radio, batteries, power bank, cash, plus medicines and the documents folder. That’s three days’ worth for one person and it fits in a school bag.
Who do I call when the power goes off?
Dial 105 in England, Scotland and Wales, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. It’s free and it connects you to your local network operator, whoever you pay your bills to.
Sources & review
- UK Government, Prepare campaign: Get prepared for emergencies. Checked 26 August 2026. Water quantities, food, torch, radio, power bank, batteries, first aid items, hygiene, formula, medication, utilities, 105 number, Priority Services Register, build-it-over-time advice.
- LINK: LINK launches new Cash Index, published May 2026. Checked 26 August 2026. Torch, tinned goods, power bank and cash-at-home percentages; the 23% figure is of people who had already taken some preparedness step.
- GOV.UK: Sign up for flood warnings. Checked 26 August 2026. Coverage, free service, delivery by text, call or email, surface-water limitation.
- NHS: Carbon monoxide poisoning. Checked 26 August 2026. Carbon monoxide does not have any taste or smell.
- GOV.UK: Understanding food labelling: best before and use-by dates. Checked 26 August 2026. Best-before dates relate to quality, not safety.
All prices are typical UK prices, estimated 26 August 2026 — check monthly. First aid content awaiting review by a qualified first aider (reviewedBy: TBC-first-aid).