Health spa closed for clean-up after mudslide

A health spa in Staffordshire has been temporarily closed after it was hit by flash flooding and a mudslide.

Moddershall Oaks Spa in Moddershall, near Stone, said it was forced to shut suddenly on Saturday afternoon for everyone's safety.

Mud from recently ploughed fields around the resort slid all the way down through the property in the heavy rain, blocking the drainage system, said director Penny Weston.

It was hoped the venue would reopen soon, and the offers of help from customers, suppliers and local businesses to clean-up the site had been "overwhelming", she said.

The property is in a dip, surrounded by farmers' fields, and was flooded twice in the space of a few hours on Saturday.

The mud had blocked the drains, and despite the team working for a number of hours to clear it, more heavy rain then led to a second flood, said Ms Weston.

The initial flooding about 17:30 BST happened within "five or ten minutes" and the water "wanted to run down the property like a river" to the resort's lake, she said.

The team had rushed to try and close doors and protect the building, but when it reflooded, knee deep water "burst the doors".

The restaurant and kitchen bore the brunt of the impact, said Ms Weston, and the business was establishing the extent of the damage to equipment as they continued to clean.

More weather warnings were also making them wary about it happening again, she said, and added they would be carrying out groundworks at the top of the property to reduce that risk.

The venue had improved drainage installed following a flood more than a decade ago, but this was the worst damage staff had seen in 24 years of business, Ms Weston said.

However, she said the family had been lifted by "thousands of messages" of support in such a "disastrous situation" and planned to open soon.

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