The floodwater smashed through the walls of several of the units
Six “heartbroken” firms at an industrial estate which was inundated with water in flooding on New Year’s Day have had to close for good, a charity that runs the site has said.
Heavy rain saw the River Tame burst its banks and swamp 18 units at Meadow Mill in Stockport and a converted block of 200 apartments was also hit by the deluge.
Gemma Papp of the Hewer-White Trust which runs the site said the commercial tenants have had to abandon the site because of the damage.
She said work was under way to restore power there and make the area “as safe as possible”.
Hewer-White Trust
Some businesses at the industrial estate have left after the flooding
Neither the Hewer-White Trust nor any of its tenants were able to get insured as the estate backs on to the river in an area which has a history of recent floods.
The charity uses rents from the site to fund its work supporting independent living for vulnerable adult and families with disabled children.
Ms Papp said she was due to meet the Environment Agency (EA) soon to discuss the impact of the “very unexpected” flooding and ask questions about whether warnings were sufficient.
The EA has previously said there were “a very large number” of warnings issued before the flooding on New Year’s Day.
Hewer-White Trust
The charity says it relies on income from the commercial units to fund its support work
Rent from the industrial estate was “vital” to the charity, Ms Papp said, explaining that it provided 40% of its income.
The Hewer-White Trust has reserves in place to respond to this kind of incident, but “they can only go so far”, she added.
Meanwhile, 200 residents who were evacuated from the former mill a fortnight ago have not yet been able to return.
‘Worst thing’
Dave Howarth, who rents his flat there via the estate agent Julian Wadden, said the past two weeks had been “the worst thing that has ever happened”.
He has been staying in temporary accommodation since the flooding and has been frustrated at the response of his landlord, the mill management firm and the insurance company to his request for help.
“I don’t know day-to-day where I’m staying, I’m constantly paying for stuff without any recompense,” he said.
Mr Howarth has been reimbursed for some of his initial hotel costs, but said uncertainty over his future had also caused his mental health to suffer.
In a statement Julian Wadden estate agents said Mr Howarth had been given a dedicated point of contact who was in constant communication with him and would continue to work with “all related parties until the matter is resolved.”