Shrewsbury garage owner threatening to sue Severn Trent after third flooding

Clive Pratt, the owner of E A Downes & Sons Ltd in Shrewsbury, said he was going to be consulting with his solicitors after this was the third time his garage had been flooded for the same reason.

The garage in Meole Brace was left swamped on Sunday after water had been pouring into his garage causing why Mr Pratt says is hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Severn Trent spent most of Sunday fixing the problem.

Mr Pratt said: "I will now be seeking legal advise to see what my next step forward is.

"This is the third time this has happened - and we haven't even had so much as an apology for the other two times.

"I will be talking to my solicitor about this.

"Severn Trent Water have ruined our business over the last few years.

"All they have wanted to do is find quick fixes as cheap as possible instead of properly repairing.

"Who knows when it will next flood - next year or next month."

Mr Pratt has said the doors to his garage are now closed indefinitely - and said it is likely they may never open again after 90 years in the area.

He has had to send 10 staff home while the garage is closed - but says he will keep paying them.

"It's not their fault is it?," he said.

"It will cost thousands and thousands of pounds this and will be months and months of work, as our garage and its equipment will not and has not survived another of these floods.

"I fear it has finished us this has - it's devastating.

"I would consider moving premises, but again times are hard and I'm not sure we could afford it."

Other nearby businesses affected included Armando Barbers, The Clay Pot and the Rainbow Connection Hair Salon - although they were lucky to escape only minor flooding as they are higher up and were back trading on Monday morning after a quick clean up.

Mei Turner, owner of Rainbow Connection, said: "I was here all day yesterday cleaning up where the water had come in. I had to make some cancellations this morning so that we could come in and carry on cleaning up.

"This has happened before, although for us it is not as bad this time."

Pritchards Van Rental, close to E A Downes & Sons was also lucky.

Suzanne Williams, office manager, said: "It did come right across the car park, but we were lucky it didn't come in.

"There was one customer who couldn't collect his vehicle because we couldn't get it around from the back, but that was it."

Severn Trent, said engineers had restored water to all the 700 customers affected by 2.30pm on Sunday and apologised to any businesses that had been damaged as result.