Lincolnshire Nuclear Fallout Shelters says war in Ukraine and Gaza has it overwhelmed with inquiries by people wanting their own bunkers

A man who offers to build nuclear bunkers in people’s back gardens, says he has been overwhelmed with inquiries since fighting broke out in the Middle East two months ago.

Paul Thompson says his business - Lincolnshire Nuclear Fallout Shelters – is experiencing its busiest period ever as a result of conflict that has erupted around the world, including the war in Ukraine.

The father-of-one, who now runs the company as his full-time job, was prompted to start the business five years ago after constructing a bunker-style shelter for a friend.

He explained: ”Five years ago I built one for a friend. I had spoken about building one, wondered how difficult it was and he said ‘do you fancy building me one.”

The two metre by three metre project, which cost between £12,000 and £14,000 was a success, says Paul, who jokes that they got a ‘really big digger’ to help it take shape.

He drew, he says, on experience gained in previous renovation and refurbishment projects alongside varied employment in everything from the gas industry to the home insurance sector.

Word of mouth, he recalls, soon spread and with it a realisation that there may be a market for similar projects.

Since then the 43-year-old has launched a website, gathered a team of sub-contractors he can call on when a job comes in and says he has so far managed the construction of around eight shelters across the country, including a number in Lincolnshire.

But since Russia invaded Ukraine 12 months ago, Paul who lives near Spilsby, says interest has grown rapidly. And since conflict in the Middle East ignited, his firm is now handling three to four new inquiries a week as a result.

This is alongside two potential builds that might soon get off the ground in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.

“As things in the world have progressed demand and inquiries have taken off” he explained.

While shelters can be built to people’s exact specifications – providing they’ve the funds and available land to spare – a family shelter comprising of two bedrooms, a kitchen, living space and bathroom can set you back close to £90,000.

The onus, explains Paul, is on the customer to obtain the requisite planning permission before work can start.

But with entry via a hatch and staircase that takes you underground, the wider public, he believes, remain none the wiser as most are constructed on neighbouring fields or paddocks belonging to the home owner. A scenario, he says, best suits his clients who don’t wish to publicise their decision to have a secret shelter and much prefer to keep their projects private where possible.

And his typical customer, he thinks, might surprise you.

Most, Paul claims, are professional people, many of them parents, well educated in politics and world news, who wish to protect their family in the event of a major incident. They are also, he believes, building the shelters on land and within properties destined to remain within their family in the long-term.

“These are rational, sensible, intelligent people” he insists.

Despite the company’s name suggesting the bunkers are only designed for a nuclear attack, Paul believes there are plenty of scenarios where being able to seek shelter in a ‘home without windows’ could protect you.

A financial crash which triggers civil unrest on the streets, the repeat of a disaster like Chernobyl, a global crisis like the start of war or even another pandemic could all lead to people wanting safe shelter.

Even climate change could in the future, he suggests, mean people benefit from a cool space below the surface at certain times of the year.

A growing lack of faith in government and its ability to respond to a catastrophic event has also, believes Paul, driven more people to now consider taking responsibility for themselves and the safety of their loved ones.

He also points to other countries around the world, including America and Israel, where shelters for protection against everything from extreme weather to conflict are considered the norm.

In 2018, the Swedish government issued all 4.8 million of the country’s households with a public information leaflet telling them what to do in the event of a war that included the location of their nearest shelter - where still, by law today, everyone is entitled to and allocated a space.

Britain too, Paul points out, has a long history of utilising bunkers in emergency planning.

In the build up to the Second World War, more than 1.5 million Anderson shelters were distributed - a move he says saved ‘millions of lives’ - while bunkers and underground command posts were also built in the event of a nuclear attack during the Cold War.

Paul added: “In the ‘60s we had bunkers being built left, right and centre but lots got sold off.”

Yet it’s not just the build of the shelter Paul claims he can advise on – but all of the necessary food, water, blankets, candles, torches and other kit he suggests families should routinely keep indoors anyway in the event of the unexpected.

In fact – just this week Deputy PM Oliver Dowden urged people to stock up on candles and battery powered radios in case of prolonged power cuts.

In an interview at the defence campus Porton Down, the cabinet minister warned that the public should be more 'personally resilient' in case modern technology was disabled by cyber attacks, terrorism or extreme weather and that households should prepare by imagining an 'analogue era'.

The term ‘prepper’ is often given to people who choose to actively ‘prepare’ for war or a natural disaster by collecting and stockpiling items they might need in an emergency.

However the movement can sometimes attract criticism, particularly online, amid a perception that such people are obsessed with doom and the end of the world.

Yet Paul believes the Covid-pandemic saw entire households become ‘preppers’ overnight without even realising it, as items like children’s medicine, paracetemol, pasta, rice and toilet roll became harder and harder to get as fears over shortages triggered panic buying.

Insisting that many people had already experienced the life of a prepper in ‘some form’ during the uncertain early days lockdown he added: “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with preparing. The minute something does go wrong the shops will go crazy.

“If people want to label you then they can, let them. But your family will be protected.”

As a result Lincolnshire Nuclear Fallout Shelters aims to offer its help or expertise where it can – even if people don't have the space or money for a complete bunker. One customer, Paul recalls, was supported with advice on simply building items into an existing space to create a form of ‘safe room’ instead.

Selling and building subterranean bunkers is perhaps not a new idea and there are a number of other companies across the country offering similar services.

In 2022 website Property Reporter estimated that more than 400 residential homes had a private hidden bunker in Britain.

However, Paul claims his firm has another unique selling point that sets it apart from the rest.

Should the unthinkable happen – and customers need to flee to their bunker for days or weeks on end – the company can provide them with dedicated support to help them through the demands of such severe lockdown living.

Thanks to his doctor-partner’s career as a clinical psychologist the firm say they are able to provide personalised videos that could be played on a battery powered laptop to help groups cope with getting along and living in a confined space.

He said: “As far as I know we are the only company that offer that service.”

And with current conflicts around the world showing few signs of a resolution, Paul expects inquiries have yet to peak.

“If the world was peaceful and happy,” he says, “there would be no work.

“One customer said that he would rather have a bunker and not need it than need one and not have it”.