Businesses 'still feeling effects' of Storm Babet

Homes and businesses across Chesterfield were affected by flooding after Storm Babet

Businesses affected by flooding in Derbyshire say they have been losing thousands of pounds in revenue since last year.

About 1,600 properties in the county were flooded following Storm Babet in October 2023, causing millions of pounds of damage to homes and businesses.

Some owners say they are still having to carry out their own repairs or make insurance claims nearly a year on from the damage.

A public consultation on a draft report into the causes of the flooding has now been approved by Derbyshire County Council following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

James Pogson said his business had to delay a refurbishment while speaking to insurers

James Pogson, from Northern Tea Merchants in Chatsworth Road, Chesterfield, said his business is still dealing with the aftermath of the floods, and called for more support.

"It’s taken us all this time to get all the £152,000 claim adjusted with the insurers, and so we’re only just seeing boots on site now for a refurb that should have been done at the latest in January," he said.

He believes Derbyshire County Council should have made a special case for extra government cash to deal with the issue.

He added: "I'd also like them to be clear and say what they are going to do to put it right - the water conveyance systems that are under the road and in place, the drains, the guttering, the sewers, the watercourses underground, are not capable of handling the volume of water that fell in only 24 hours."

Jamie Rawson, who owns The Anchor in Brampton, said the flooding has cost the pub more than £35,000 through repairs and loss of revenue.

He said he expected a better response from the authorities at the time, and wants more regular clearing of road drainage systems to prevent further flooding.

"By the time the council came to clean the thick mud on the street outside my pub, I’d already cleaned it because I was ready to open, and that was a week after," he said.

"I'd already struggled to reopen, and the street was still caked in mud a week after - I don't think it's acceptable."

Jamie Rawson said he had to clean up flood damage on his own

Following cabinet approval, a consultation period of at least 12 weeks will now take place, which the county council said means any report "will not be ready until early 2025".

The council had said that while a public consultation is not legally required as part of its investigations, it felt it is "proportional and appropriate" due to "the scale and impact this event had on the residents and businesses in Derbyshire".

"The main aim of the report is to provide a factual record of the flooding events that occurred during Storm Babet," it said in its agenda ahead of the meeting.

"It is not intended to provide options and actions to reduce the flood risk for all those who were affected, but there are some high level recommendations as to how future flood risk in Derbyshire could be managed."