Firms count £200k cost of flooding
Mill business owners’ fury as storm flood leaves them counting the cost
BUSINESSES have been left counting the cost of flooding at a Stockport mill after Storm Christoph hit the region last month.
Welkin Mill, in Lower Bredbury – home to some 30 companies – was breached by flood water during the heavy rainfall.
The ‘heartbreaking’ flood caused around £200,000 of damage to firms based on the ground floor, while the clean-up operation cost a further £5,000.
Stockport council says the mill is in a designated flood risk area close to the River Goyt and the town hall had contacted businesses to warn them of the ‘imminent risk’.
It has also advised firms to take precautions if flooding did occur.
But Takir Mirza, who owns the mill, believes the authority could have done more to prevent the flooding in the first place.
He says no action has been taken to unblock a nearby brook, despite ongoing warnings it was silting up.
The ‘tiny stream’ had already flooded into neighbouring fields in the days beforehand, the businessman said.
Flood waters eventually spread to the mill and came up through manhole covers inside the building as the surrounding area became saturated.
“For the last five years we have been telling Stockport council that the brook was full of soil and silt and the water wasn’t running off – they have done nothing about it,” he added.
“Over the last few weeks it has just been building up and up and up. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“It’s heartbreaking. A lot of them are struggling as it is.”
Mr Mirza, who has pledged to help his tenants get back on their feet, said that the flood had left some business owners close to tears.
“They are very shellshocked,” he said.
“You have to remember we are coming out of Covid-19 as well. If it had not been for Covid-19 and they had a little bit more money in the bank, it would have been easier for them, but they have not had income for a year now, nearly.”
The 55-year-old entrepreneur – who made his money in computers before moving into property – says he will not seek compensation for himself.
But he does want the council to reimburse his tenants for costs incurred by the flood.
“There was potential for a flood, no one gave a damn about us. We are really, really fed-up,” he said.
One of the businesses hit by the flood was moviESCAPE, a movie-themed escape room company which operates on the ground floor of Welkin Mill.
General manager Matt Butler has echoed Mr Mirza’s comments about the event leading up to the flood.
He said: “The excessive rain we had on Wednesday was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back because it wasn’t draining anywhere and it caused that brook to breach.”
Matt says he is still assessing the damage but says it will come out at many tens of thousands of pounds to get everything back to how it was.
“There’s no standing water anymore but everything is very wet,” he said.
“We are kind of in the process of determining the damage and seeing what we can recover.
“It’s been devastating to be honest.
The Pantonic All Stars Steel Orchestra were also affected, with their rehearsal room at the Mill suffering damage.
Steve Marshall, the orchestra’s chairman, said: “We’re a bit devastated really.
“We’ve been looking through the equipment over the last couple of days and we have got some considerable damage.”