Barbershop Owner Describes Flood Damage as ‘a scene from the Titanic’ After Storm Bert

The proprietor of a barbershop stated that his establishment appeared like a “scene from the Titanic” following recent flood damage attributed to Storm Bert. A substantial clean-up effort is currently in progress in Chippenham, Wiltshire, as local businesses strive to dry their properties and resume operations promptly. Gary Hatto, from G Hatto Barbershops, commented, “We’ll get everything out, we’ll hose it to death and then we’ll work backwards and see what’s salvageable and take it from there.” On Monday, Chippenham experienced inundation by floodwaters, leading to the closure of roads and schools after the area was impacted by the storm. Mr. Hatto informed the BBC, “Everything that was three or four foot up including the sofas was floating from front to back like a scene from the Titanic.” He added, “We’ll do the best as we can as soon as we can. We’ll be open in a couple of days, hopefully.” Becky Lyons, owner of Pawesome Pets in the same town, reported that water reached “up to the door” yesterday, preventing entry to her premises. She stated, “The first job now is to go through the stock and see how much I’ve lost.” She continued, “Most of it today is going to be cleaning up the mud.” Lyons further explained, “My tills are down because we have no electricity but we still have stock, so I’m going to use my portable card machine and we’ll just wing it.” She concluded, “When it rains I’ll have sleepless nights when I see the river that high again.” Wiltshire Council is advising businesses impacted by the flooding to contact the local authority. Richard Clewer, the council leader, informed BBC Radio Wiltshire: “We’ve dealt with the flooding itself, that’s now receding. We now move into recovery. “The first thing we need to do is find out who’s been flooded, so if you’ve been affected please get in touch with us.” Mr. Clewer indicated that assistance for both businesses and residents would originate from the central government. He further elaborated, “They will be announcing that – based on previous flooding events – in the next couple of days, and that support will then be channelled to those who have been affected.” He stressed, “But you need to tell us and don’t wait.”