Flood defence experts have been meeting in Wallingford to review the latest developments in protection techniques.

The water engineering company HR Wallingford hosted the Flood Protection Update, an event that was attended by scientists and engineers from across the country.

The Rapidam, an alternative to sand-bagging developed by Hydroscience of Fareham, Hampshire, was tested in one of HR Wallingford's large wave basins.

It is a barrier that can either be bolted to a concrete surface or laid over softer ground with a skirt to hold it in place using the weight of the flood water.

The brains behind Hydroscience's innovation are two former deep-sea divers, Nic Ward, 41, and Andy Walker, 42. At a time when they were designing products for the deep-sea oil market, they happened to see a documentary about extreme weather and flooding.

Mr Ward said: "We thought there had to be something better than sand-bagging and began to thrash out some ideas and we up with the basic design of the Rapidam." A private financier, who was backing projects by the pair's other company, Deep Water Solutions, agreed to provide further funds and the Rapidam moved to the research and development stage.

In March last year it was featured on BBC TV's Tomorrow's World, when it out-performed traditional sand-bagging.

Mr Ward said: "It took ten soldiers two hours and 20 minutes to build a wall of sandbags 6m long and 1m high. It then leaked. Andy and I erected the Rapidam ourselves and it was ready and watertight in only 19 minutes."

He added: "The flood water makes the barrier more stable. We are using the problem as part of the solution."

The Rapidam comes in sections and can be joined with Velcro ties to form a barrier long enough to surround and protect key buildings such as hospitals and schools.

It won the BBC's Best Invention of the Year Award in the Safety and Environment Category. Hydroscience has received enquiries from Australia, China and Chile and plans are being made for the device to be mass-produced near flood-risk areas.

Thierry Rault, of HR Wallingford, said: "We are working with the Association of British Insurers to identify areas most at risk from flooding not caused by main rivers."