Rocester FC launches crowdfund appeal after flood damage

Volunteers joined the clean-up operation after Storm Babet

A football club has launched a crowdfunding appeal to fix damage caused by flooding at its ground.

Rocester FC in Staffordshire said fast-rising waters during Storm Babet last Friday caused £10,000 of damage.

The club bar was under several inches of water, ruining doors, floors and walls.

Joint chairman Dave Jackson thanked club members and supporters for helping to clean up.

Mr Jackson said the club, on the banks of the River Dove, had suffered flooding before, but he had never seen the water rise so fast.

"The pitch was under two feet of water at five o'clock. I went back at seven and there was at least three feet of water," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

The club had been unable to get flood damage insurance because of its location, Mr Jackson added.

The club has thanked volunteers who "worked their butts off" to clean up

Club members are trying to get facilities ready to resume matches within a couple of weeks. The chairman said the priority was replacing perimeter fencing that had come down.

Paying tribute to those who joined the clean-up operation, Mr Jackson said it was a team effort.

"From players to players' parents to committee people, they were fantastic," he explained. "They turned up in their droves."

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