Damaged barber shop ‘like a scene from Titanic’

A barber shop looks like “a scene from the Titanic” after recent flood damage caused by Storm Bert, its owner said.

A. Major clean-up operation continues In Chippenham, Wiltshire, businesses are working hard to dry out their premises and reopen as quickly as possible.

“We’ll take everything out, hose it down and then work backwards and see what’s salvageable and take it from there,” said Gary Hatto of G Hatto Barbershops.

Chippenham flooded Roads and schools were closed due to the storm on Monday.

“Everything 3-4 meters high, including the sofas, was floating from front to back like a scene from the Titanic,” Hatto told the BBC.

“We will do our best as soon as possible. Hopefully, we will put it into service in a few days.”

Becky Lyons, owner of Pawesome Pets in the town, said yesterday there was water “up to the door” and “they couldn’t get in”.

“The first thing I do now is to examine the stocks and see how much I’ve lost,” he said. “The bulk of the work today will be cleaning up the mud.

“My cash registers are closed because we don’t have electricity, but we still have stock, so I’ll use my portable card machine and turn it on.

“When it rains and I see the river this high again, I’ll have sleepless nights.”

Wiltshire Council is urging businesses affected by flooding to contact their local authority.

Council leader Richard Clewer told BBC Radio Wiltshire: “We’ve dealt with the flooding problem, it’s now receding. We’re now moving into the recovery phase.”

“The first thing we need to do is find out who is flooded, so please contact us if you are affected.”

Mr Clewer said support for businesses and residents would come from central government.

“They will announce this over the next few days based on previous flood events and this support will then be directed to those affected,” he continued.

“But you need to tell us, and don’t wait.”