Pub landlady spends thousands on flood defences

Landlady Khara Schrijvers said the pub had flooded 12 times in the space of four months

A pub landlady in Warwickshire has said she has spent almost £120,000 in flood defences to protect the business.

The Royal Oak Pub, in Brandon, has installed aluminium, custom-made gates, special manhole covers to stop water overflowing from the drains, and applied a liquid waterproof coating to the walls and floors of the cellar.

Landlady Khara Schrijvers said the preventative measures came after 12 floods in the space of four months.

Speaking about the hefty cost, Ms Schrijvers said: "We had to take precaution to make sure it didn't happen again."

The pub was shut for four and a half months while the work took place, as the insurance premiums increased.

Ms Scrhijvers said: "All along our front garden there is a new wall. Anytime there's an overnight rain alert we put [the barriers] up.

"Even if we're open and there's heavy rain we'll put it up. We just don't want to take the risk anymore.

"Insurance covers loss of earnings, but [the] majority gets taken away in your excess. Our premium has gone up five and a half times what we were paying pre-floods."

Warwickshire has faced significant flooding in recent decades.

Residents of neighbouring Wolston also experienced heavy flooding in January 2024 after the banks of the River Avon burst.

Shan Dobinson said she subsequently spent £5,500 on flood defences, but was later reimbursed by Warwickshire County Council.

She said: "But some families can't afford the upfront cost. My insurance has doubled in price so I've had to shop around.

"But they don't take into account all the work I've done. Having the flood defences hasn't cut my insurance bill at the end of the day.

"Flood warnings didn't help us in Wolston, and work to prevent flooding upstream has been slow, and they aren't being up to date with the latest."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said it understood the "devastating" effect flooding could have on communities and added it was looking to install a warning gauge to Wolston Brook by February 2026 after it gets the necessary approvals from local authorities.