Floods 100 days on: '˜Quicker and better help is needed for Leeds's flood-hit businesses'

The aftermath of the Boxing Day floods on Kirkstall Road on December 27. Picture Bruce Rollinson

100 days on from the floods that swathed the Kirkstall Valley and parts of the city centre, businesses are still counting the cost.

Today a new flood insurance scheme to help at-risk households get more affordable cover has been launched - but it fails to help those hit hardest from the Boxing Day floods in Kirstall, business owners.

The Government-backed scheme, Flood Re, should help almost 40,000 households across Yorkshire in the next few years, but Kirkstall councillor Coun Lucinda Yeadon says it does not go far enough.

Coun Yeadon, deputy leader of Leeds Council, said she knew of business owners who said they would be forced to leave Kirkstall when their leases expire because of the effects on insurance costs. One firm told her their excess had shot up from £1,000 to £250,000.

She said: “Lots of business are back up and running thanks mainly to all the volunteers that came down to help, but there are still those who aren’t yet open and trying to get through the red tape of insurance.

“Big businesses or chains have the security of being multi-national companies but small businesses don’t have that security net and the Government need to be able to provide that.”

She said the Government were “letting down” the legions of small business owners by not providing insurance support for them now.

“If they are looking at adding to it in future - it could be too late,” she added.