Expert shares how to survive a zombie apocalypse

With spooky season well and truly upon us, one expert has explored how people can keep themselves safe from a zombie apocalypse.

While the scenario is incredibly unlikely, fictional stories have always been a popular plot through some of the world's most famous literature, films and TV series, including Netflix's All Of Us Are Dead.

Now, zombie survival expert, Lewis Dartnell, author of The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World after an Apocalypse, has partnered with Toolstation to share a guide in the event of a hypothetical zombie apocalypse.

Here are seven of Dartnell's top tips – that we hope none of us ever have to use:

Step 1: At the start of everything, you will want to lay low. Make sure you are prepped with a few days’ worth of food and water and stay inside. It would be wise to blackout windows with bin liners and barricade doors or any other entry points.

Step 2: Plan your route out of your town or city, a crowded area is the last place you want to be, so getting out is necessary. Plan a route that avoids main roads and use the darkness of night to cover yourself. Try to stick to your route but be prepared to adapt if anything goes wrong.

Step 3: Find yourself a good set of wheels, ideally a sturdy 4x4 that can take some damage and handle off-road driving. You’ll need a vehicle to travel for supplies and relocation, we recommend putting a long-range radio or walkie-talkie in there so you can communicate with your fellow survivors.

Step 4: Find a quiet, rural spot to settle down. Away from crowded areas, this is the perfect place to survive. Settle near clear, running water, find a place with a fireplace so you can use wood to keep warm and try to find somewhere with fertile ground so you can grow your own food.

Step 5: Think about defence, a wall surrounding your settlement combined with some floodlights is what you want. This keeps out any unwanted visitors and allows you to keep eyes on the surrounding area.

Step 6: Scavenge what you need, the world is now yours to scavenge to survive. Keep an eye out for medication like antibiotics, iodine tablets can make water safe to drink, and supermarkets will contain canned food that will stay good for years after.

Step 7: Once settled, you can re-establish the infrastructure that you need. Establish an off-grid supply of electricity, this can be done via homemade wind turbines. Also, fuel can be made using rendered animal fat, allowing you to keep your vehicles running.

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Dartnell also suggests grouping together to create the perfect survival team, recommending to poach the following:

• Natural Leaders: Having someone in the team who can lead and make decisions is a must, someone needs to keep morale up and organise your actions to make sure you effectively perform as a unit.
• Carpenters/Metalworkers: Capable trade workers are essential when it comes to repairs and rebuilding, you need to be a self-sufficient unit, so being able to build and repair as and when it is needed is a must.
• Electricians: Like the previous addition, electricians can help you rebuild your infrastructure, install solar panels, and monitor generators and batteries. Creating a settlement with self-sufficient electricity will improve your quality of life.
• Doctors and Nurses: Another necessary addition to any team, these will help keep you in good health and although they may not have access to all the equipment they need, their medical knowledge is needed.

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