Defence

[Scythe13]

Fight, it's all dependant on what you're expecting. If you're in the home, a determined group will get in, no matter what. Unless you kill each member of the group, you'll not have a chance to stop them. Think of it this way, if your kids were starving, when would you stop trying?

The best thing for security/protection/defence is a good load of neighbours that look out for each other. You can always discourage people by using things like thorny bushes, a Beware of Rotweillers sign, and stuff like that. After that, last line of defence would be yourselves and weaponry.

Water.....just get a waterbutt and stick it at the bottom of a gutter or something, round the back of the house. It rains frequently enough in the UK, so that's not a huge problem. After that, it's a simple job of boiling and maybe chem treating. A couple of drops of bleach, and job's a good'en. One word to think of, observability. Are the waterbutts observable from the front of the house? How easy would it be to get water from them without being seen?