An ill wind blows well for Shropshire fencing firms
We may be feeling battered by the recent gales – but you won't find fence companies in the region complaining.
They have seen a huge rise in demand after weather which felled hundreds of fence panels in winds gusting upwards of 70mph.
And with more storms expected for Shropshire and Mid Wales tomorrow, it is likely they will be working flat out again.
Environment Secretary, North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson, was today chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee in response to the flooding which has torn down power lines, closed roads and deluged homes across the country.
Calmer and brighter weather today will be replaced by storms tomorrow.
James Berry, manager at Tafs Garden Company, St Georges Road, in Telford, said he was expecting a fresh wave of calls when the strong winds return.
He said staff had been called back to work during their holidays to cope with high demand from customers.
He said: "We reopened between Christmas and new year because the phones have been ringing off the hooks. There's certainly been an increase in demand and we've had to call our staff back to cope."
Sarah Sayce, of Sayce's Fencing in Shrewsbury, added: "Normally it is very quiet at this time of year. We have been out to look at the jobs which have been emergencies."
Dave Adams, from D&M Fencing, at Greenfields Farm, Whitchurch, said: "This morning I was called to a new housing estate and you could see as you looked along the back gardens that loads of panels had come down. I thought to myself if I can fix all these I won't have to work for the rest of the year."
