County people hit by January Storm Henk floods have less than two weeks to apply for recovery cash

Those who were affected by flooding in January now have less than two weeks to apply for funding.

The flood relief grant funding covers businesses and residents affected by Storm Henk from Tuesday, January 2. The deadline to apply is April 7.

Shropshire Council was forced to delay opening the applications to demonstrate to the Government that 50 properties had been flooded internally.

Around 60 people from all along the watercourses in Shropshire crammed into a Shrewsbury cafe last month to express their concerns over flooding and frustration over the delays in access to the helpful cash.

Following the meeting, affected properties were identified to reach the 50-property threshold.

Siobhan Connor, chair of Shrewsbury Flood Action Group, who led the meeting in February, is appealing for those affected to take the "two or three minutes" to apply before time runs out.

"People might think they'll put it off," she said, "but it takes two or three minutes to do. We want to encourage people to get just get it done."

She continued: "When a grant is offered from central government it’s important this reaches those in need. As result of community engagement, I was able to demonstrate over 50 properties in Shropshire flooded internally and there are still new people coming forward, the list is growing. It is clear there should be a dedicated flood committee at Shropshire Council, especially as we are now facing flooding three times a year. There are no wins with flooding, but I feel this is a positive outcome for the counties flooded communities and businesses who repeatedly left to struggle on their own."

Those affected by flooding will be eligible for 100 per cent council tax and business rates relief for at least three months, while small-to-medium-sized businesses could be eligible for up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant.

There is also up to £5,000 available for property owners to help make their homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding, via the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme.

Applications can be made online at shropshire.gov.uk/stormhenkrelief.