Chalfont shopkeepers say flooding impact 'worse than Covid'

Business owners in a village repeatedly affected by flooding said the impact on trade was worse than Covid.

It is a recurring problem in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, but some shopkeepers said the current situation was the worst they had known.

A main access road has been shut for a month to allow tankers to drain the sewage system, which has been struggling to cope with floodwater.

Thames Water apologised and blamed it on weeks of "excessively heavy rain".

Parts of the UK have seen the wettest February on record, with heavy rainfall causing widespread problems.

Marie Cavanagh runs a glass art shop and gallery and sits on the local chamber of commerce.

"For me personally it's been quite bad. Some days it's 95% loss of business. On Tuesday I only took £5," she said.

She added there was no reason for customers to stay away as parking and alternative routes into the village were still available.

Adele Kelly, who runs a clothes shop, said: "I have never seen it so bad as in the last six weeks. It's worse than Covid."

She said they were told things would not get back to normal until the spring and, in the meantime, shops were closing.

Jessica Sussex, who runs a flooring shop, said this was the worst she had known it.

"There have been periods of time where we have had flooding, however it hasn't impacted us as much as this. A long-term solution needs to be found," she said.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "The excessively heavy rain since early January means the groundwater and river levels remain very high and the ground is saturated.

"A significant amount of this water is entering the local sewer system and causing flooding at low points.

"Whilst we're solving this problem, we know its disruptive and inconvenient, but our absolute priority is to avoid further flooding to customers' properties while the groundwater and river levels remain high and continue to impact our sewers."

It said it would continue to monitor the situation and work with the Environment Agency and Buckinghamshire County Council.

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