Slow recovery for town hit by worst flooding in decades

Twm Owen, Local democracy reporter

A town hit by its worst flooding in a generation is beginning to recover despite uncertainty for many who found their homes and businesses washed away.

At the back of the Castle Gate GP surgery on Monmouth’s main high street a demountable unit has been placed in the car park from which a pharmacy now operates after its building was left unusable due to the flooding.

“It’s been a complete disaster and people have never experienced that sort of flooding,” said Simon Moore branch manager of the Well Pharmacy of the devastation caused when the river Monnow overflowed and rushed through the main street in the early hours of Saturday, November 15 following hours of heavy rain brought by Storm Claudia.

“We are a big corporation and have got good insurance and the company has three of these units just in case,” but Mr Moore said the flooding of its branch meant 7,000 items – from prescriptions to retail stock – had to be disposed of. In the following days up to seven drivers were delivering items to patients as there was nowhere to store them until the temporary unit arrived.

“We are a community pharmacy and people come in and tell you their problems, and we know everybody and their families,” said Mr Moore: “One lady came in and said she will be out of her home for nine months.”

While the pharmacy is adapting to the practical issues of operating from a small, portable cabin others are still assessing damage and dealing with protracted negotiations with insurers.

Husband and wife Chris and Claire Lawson, the owners of Handyman House, a DIY, homeware and hardware store, that has traded from the bottom end of Monnow Street, in the shadow of the mediaeval fortified river bridge over the Monnow, for 40 years estimate the cost will be around £1 million.

Flood defences at the back of spacious store and showroom held but it was still overwhelmed by water that gushed in and destroyed stock and cabinets installed years ago when Claire’s father Roy Newton founded the business. Items placed higher up also had to be discarded due to contamination and condensation.

“The flood wall at the back held, but nobody expected it come in this way,” said Mrs Lawson standing in the front of the shop where just a few weeks ago customers would wait to pay for items.

“We did have flood insurance but it is very sad and for those who haven’t it must be absolutely horrendous,” she said.

The store employs three full time staff who are working from its branch in Malven while the couple continue to clear up and await further structural assessments while also offering a click and collect service through the shop’s website.

Grants of up to £3,000 from the Welsh Government will be available for Monmouthshire businesses impacted by the flooding through the county council, with £500 also available to householders with insurance or £1,000 for those without.

Three months council tax and business rates relief will also be available while Monmouth Town Council has established a fund to make awards of up to £2,000 available for flood victims.

Among those without insurance for their business is Rachael Davis who with husband Nick Holbrook set up a snack shop, Pause & Paws, serving people and their pets from a hatch overlooking the parking area in front of Handyman House in April.

The intention was to run a business that would provide Nick with less demanding work, following health issues, but he is now back working as a floor fitter with the tiny space he’d kitted out unusable and all their stock and machinery lost.

“Our broker couldn’t get insurance following flooding in 2020 but people said the High Street hadn’t flooded since the 1960s so we thought it would be okay,” said Ms Davis who has set up a fundraising appeal through the business’ social media pages due to the large cost of replacing equipment.

Some shops, such as Harts ladies clothing are able to continue operating from their first floor premises even as work to clear out their ground floor continues, but there are also reports of some businesses having to make staff redundant as they aren’t expected to be able to reopen for six months.

At the foot of the bridge, Bar 125 found itself at the centre of headlines after flooding just a week after opening.

Owners Martin and Andrea Sholl had bought the building and completely refurbished it just 12 weeks earlier only to be told in the aftermath that their insurance didn’t cover the damage.

“I’ve been doing all the physical stuff, trying to get everything back up and operating while my wife has been on the BBC, ITV news, and the morning shows,” said Mr Sholl who added Andrea is still in talks with insurers, though the bar has managed a limited reopening.

“First of all it was a straight no but now it is going through the details and they’ve said they’ll have to get the underwriters to check the drafting.”

The couple had spent £250,000 on refurbishing what had been a vacant pub and estimate the flood damage has cost them the same amount including £10,700 worth of food that was in their fridges.

They, like their neighbours, are not only counting the costs and working out how to get back up and running but keeping an eye on the weather in the hope Monmouth has seen the worst of the winter.