Shrewsbury flood victims' relief over compensation
Flood victims have spoken of their relief at receiving compensation - months after their livelihoods were hit by the rising River Severn in Shrewsbury.
Cash has been handed out to business owners in Coleham in Shrewsbury to help them bounce back from floods which forced them to close their shops for several days earlier this year.
Grant money has also been provided to help the traders reopen their businesses quickly should similar floods occur in the future.
The traders have been waiting for compensation to become available via a Government fund as promised by Prime Minister David Cameron, which was set up to help those seriously affected by the floods recover.
The area lies very close to the River Severn just outside Shrewsbury town centre and has suffered during major floods such as those of 2000.
Earlier this year Andy Robinson of Robinson's Valeting Services could only watch as flood water rose quickly in his garage, where he services luxury cars.
He has been given a £5,000 grant alongside compensation, so he is more prepared for flooding in the future.
Mr Robinson said: "I was never expecting this, I lost about £1,500 and I was given £850 in compensation.
"More importantly I was given £5,000 in grant money so that when the garage floods in the future I can be back on my feet within 24 hours.
"The garage is always going to flood but the money will enable me to turn things round.
"Lots of measures will be put in place and we have also been given guidelines.
"This means that when I flood in the future I will be able to be up and running again in less then a day.
"I could have done with the compensation coming through a lot sooner but you can't moan really.
"We're back on track and busy and we've been told the money should be in the bank within 10 days.
"It's brilliant news for us and I really didn't expect this to happen.
"There's been an awful lot of red tape and I suppose this things take time.
"I'm just glad the money has come through now."
Many business owners in the area were left out of pocket after compensation failed to arrive in the aftermath of the flooding.
They also hit out at the lack of warning given before road closures and said they had been abandoned by the authorities.
For Ian Timmins, who runs a car park in the area, flooding will continue to be an ongoing problem.
He said: "I was given £369 back in total because it was calculated based on a percentage of my earnings from last year.
"I lost about £900 during the floods and I think only time will tell as to whether the flooding may actually get worse.
"There are hundreds of houses getting built to the north of the area and that water has got to run somewhere.
Winsor Jones, of Pete Jones Motorcycles, also believes that the compensation will change very little.
He said: "I've been told that I'm eligible for a £5,000 grant but that doesn't really change anything.
"We've been flooded for so many years now so we've taken out our own safeguards.
"The problem is that the pub car park next door is on lower ground so the flood water then comes through to us.
"The grant will go some way to helping us but it can't bring back customers.
"This is our busiest time of year and we are back on track, there is no point in us opening up when the flooding happens though.
"As soon as the signs go up saying the road is flooded, people assume I'm closed.
"It's got harder and harder ever time and the grant can't change that.
"Something will have to be sorted out but I don't know what."
The grant is part of a package launched by the Government as part of new measures to help homes and business owners affected by the flooding.
About £10 million has also been offered to farmers whose fields were flooded.
For more information on the Government's schemes visit www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-to-help-communities-hit-by-flooding
