St Asaph floods cost council house insurers £1m

Firefighters pull a boat as they wade down a flooded street in St Asaph last year

A flood that hit 500 homes in Denbighshire last year was a one in 200-year event, says an interim report.

The county council says its insurance claims are likely to top £1m in relation to damage to council homes.

The figure does not include insurance claims by private home owners also recovering after the River Elwy burst its banks last November.

A report being discussed by councillors on Thursday says 12 separate communities were hit by floodwater.

The worst affected was St Asaph where an elderly woman was found dead in her home.

The Elwy reached its highest recorded level breaching flood defences designed to cope with a one in 100-year event, says the report.

In Ruthin, an independent investigation is continuing into why the newly-built Glasdir estate was badly hit, forcing residents into temporary accommodation while properties dried out.

Fundraising appeals

The report says the cost of the county council's initial response to the emergency has reached £270,000 plus £80,000 of insurance excesses for claims likely to exceed £1m.

It goes on to say a "prime consideration" continues to be the welfare of elderly and disabled people.

And it says regular meetings are taking place with representatives of householders at Glasdir with a similar meeting scheduled with residents at St Asaph.

Other areas affected include Rhuddlan, Gellifor, Llanynys, Llanbedr DC, Loggerheads, Glyndyfrdwy and Corwen.

The report says work is expected to start soon in Corwen on a £2.5m flood risk management scheme.

Final reports on November's flooding are expected in the summer.

Earlier this month Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council (DVSC) received a Big Lottery Fund grant of £140,000 which will help people in the affected homes in St Asaph.

A separate appeal to help the community was started by the local council last year which has so far collected over £165,000.

Meanwhile, St Asaph Cricket Club has launched its own £300,000 appeal to rebuild its riverside facilities after its main building had to be demolished due to flood damage.