Owners of a convenience store in Catcliffe have been left unable to open for three weeks due to the impacts caused by Storm Babet.
Roj-Kumar Bagawathram, 35, owner of the Family Shopper in Catcliffe has estimated that his business has lost over £100,000 due to the loss of trade caused by the flood.
Flooded water reaching two-and-a-half metres high inside the premises, meant all the shelving has been destroyed and remains floating around the shop.
The stock on shelves have been obliterated, leaving much of it unable to be sold, and the electricity has been turned off, leaving the freezers and chillers out of bounds.
Mr Bagawathram said: “It’s been life threatening, being unable to open has put me ten years back. I need to spend all the money again and do borrowings.”
The business has been offered a grant by the government of £2,500 to cover the damage.
Mr Bagawathram said: “Really it’s unacceptable, it won’t even cover my wages.”
The shop briefly opened on Monday with 50 per cent trade due to the lack of freezers and chillers, which are estimated to cost between £30-40,000 to repair.
They hope to officially reopen on Monday, however the family have had to call on the community for support with cleaning, due to the unaffordable cost of £6,000 from a specialised cleaning team.
Mr Bagawathram said: “We almost lost our own lives sorting out all the stock. Everything needs repairing, so that’s going to cost a lot.
“The scariest thing for me is if I can’t open the store as soon as possible, then I’ll be lost.
“I can’t put it on the market, no one will buy it. It’s a situation where I need to open it and start trading.”
