'All hands on deck' as staff and volunteers muck in for Shrewsbury floods clean-up
Pub cellars were being pumped, shop floors ripped up and carpets vacuumed for standing water as a community battled back from a fourth major flood in three years.
Businesses in the Coleham area of Shrewsbury once again bore the brunt of flooding after the effects of Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin caused the River Severn to burst its banks.
In scenes replicated along the river in Ironbridge, Bridgnorth and Bewdley, people in Longden Coleham have been ferrying supplies to stranded residents by boat.
The river level may now have dropped and the street may look almost back to normal but, for some, it won't be as simple as quickly cleaning up and then reopening.
Among the worst hit was the Cross Foxes pub, which still had a cellar full of water on Thursday morning.
Landlord Daryl Lloyd said: "It's the cellar that gets the full brunt of it. Most of the stock we were able to save, but the kegs that had already been tapped couldn't be saved.
"It's all hands on deck today. The main thing is to get the cellar cleaned and sanitised. Hopefully we'll be back open next week, but it means we'll miss the rugby this weekend.
"We pumped most of the water out yesterday. We've got a marine carpet (inside the bar area), the same as they use on boats. So we're hoping once its dried out and cleaned it'll be alright."
Daryl also raised concerns that residents and businesses in Coleham may be forgotten if the new Riverside development is built in the town centre. He added: "I've been here for 37 years and we've seen lots of floods, but not four in three years.
"With the new riverside development, I'm sure they will be putting defences in there so they don't flood the new offices. So that'll probably make it worse down here. A flood plain further up the river is the way to go, or dredge the river."
All the trade the pub has lost out on during the floods cannot be recouped due to difficulty of getting insurance.
Daryl added: "The last quote I had had £100,000 excess."
Despite a tough day at work for the Cross Foxes staff, regular Martin Gaynor was keeping spirits up. "I want to claim from the council for a 'loss of Guinness'," he joked. "I haven't had a pint since Sunday."
Elsewhere, staff at the Barnabas Church Centre were using a vacuum to get gallons of water off the carpet and down the drain. Richard Jones, chairman of the directors, said that last time the floods cost the church £15,000.
"We are no longer covered by flood insurance so we will have to find the money, and majority of labour will be done by volunteers from the church," said Richard.
"The same thing happened around a year ago, and we lost probably in the region of £15,000. We took all the doors off this time because replacing them was a big expense last time. The biggest cost will be for contractors to relay the floor tiles. There are about 4,500 in the building. It's a big job."
He added: "This has been flooded in 1998, 2000, and four times in the last three years. Each time we have done more to make it more flood resistant. Everything in here has been raised 600mm.
"We've not suffered any contents damage this time."
Richard expects it to be a couple of months before the centre can be used again, depending on how quickly the floor dries.
The church will be meeting online this Sunday, but will be using a different venue in the coming weeks while the floor dries out and work gets done. And the church is planning on running a food bank tomorrow in the car park.
India Logan, from Aleso home and baby shop, was grateful for to support of the community in Coleham, which regularly helps one another through difficult times.
"I've had lots of support from family and the owner has been really supportive. He helped me get everything off the ground, which I wouldn't have been able to do. A lot of our customers from around here have walked past and had kind words for us. The community around here is really good. Sam (Jewell) and Steve (Clarke, co-owners of House Coffee Co and The Allotment) helped a lot. They know what the river level needs to get to so they came and told us when to prepare."
Aleso was one of several businesses that used new "flood gate" barriers provided by Shropshire Council. The water level marked on the gate was about a foot deep, but the shop only had 2-3cm of water inside. "It worked really well," said India. "We're going slow and steady," she added. "A lot of the other places seem to be back open which is good.
"We're ripping up the floor today. Hopefully we'll be able to get it sorted quickly."
Coleham Sandwich Bar and Deli, was back open for business, thanks to the flood gate and pump keeping the water out well.
"The pump did really well and so did the gate," said owner Brian Whitley. "Last time we didn't have the pump."
He added: "You get used to it. We were sort of ready. You've just got to get on with it.
"We've lost three days trading which we won't get back. You can't get insurance here unless you pay a massive excess.
"It's not as bad here as it is further up the road. You feel for them."
