Residents of the historic Welsh border town of Monmouth have described the recent inundation from Storm Claudia as the most severe flooding the area has witnessed since the 1970s. The deluge, which struck last month, left a trail of mud, debris, and financial ruin in its wake, hitting independent businesses at the start of the crucial Christmas trading period.
A Torrent of Destruction
For Andrea and Martin Sholl, the nightmare began around 1am on a Friday night. The couple, who had been running their new restaurant, Bar 125, for just eight days, watched in horror as water began surging up through the drains. "It was heart-wrenching," Andrea recalls. The premises, located next to the River Monnow, quickly filled with water that rose to the windowsill in the lower dining room.
Despite efforts to move furniture upstairs, the Sholls lost all their kitchen appliances and thousands of pounds worth of food from ruined fridges and freezers. The River Monnow, bursting its banks, sent water cascading into the town centre, affecting nearly 200 homes and 120 businesses, according to Monmouthshire county council. The nearby village of Skenfrith was flooded for the fourth time in five years.
The Struggle to Rebuild
The clean-up operation has been arduous and costly, particularly for the town's many independent traders. The Sholls, who were forced to cancel over 1,200 Christmas bookings, discovered their insurance did not cover flood damage or lost trade. With help from tradespeople and locals, they managed to reopen Bar 125 after ten days. "We needed to get those tills ringing as soon as we could," said Andrea Sholl.
Others have not been so fortunate. A month after the floods, many shops and hospitality venues on Monnow Street remain closed. Roberto Biba, whose wife owns La Piccola Italia restaurant, says they are paying staff wages and rent from their own pockets, unsure of their insurance cover and not expecting to reopen until late January.
While wine merchant Tom Innes is covered by insurance, he faces the slog of clearing mud-damaged stock. He fears this "one-off" event will cause insurance premiums to rise in future. The disparity in support is stark; larger chains like the town's Waitrose and Marks & Spencer have reopened, but smaller businesses lack the same resources.
An Uncertain Future and an Insurance Gap
Monmouthshire council and the Welsh government have offered financial support of up to £1,000 for residents and £3,000 for businesses, with council tax and business rates suspended. However, council chief executive Paul Matthews acknowledges this is "a drop in the ocean" for many. He highlights the anxiety that lingers after a flood, noting that every new rainfall now causes concern.
The crisis has exposed a critical gap in protection for businesses. While the Flood Re reinsurance scheme exists to help homeowners, it does not cover commercial properties. The government argues that extending it would require a significant levy, raising costs. With the climate crisis expected to increase flooding frequency, towns like Monmouth face a precarious future, where being uninsurable becomes a real threat to community survival.
