Resident’s Wedding Presents Among Items Destroyed by Flood

A woman reported feeling “emotionally and financially drained” following the destruction of her wedding presents and her young son’s clothing due to flooding caused by Storm Bert. Ellie Bailey, aged 29, stated that her basement residence in Buckingham was inundated with water on Monday while she was away for the weekend. This incident marked the second flood at the property within a two-month period. The adjacent establishment, the New Inn pub, also sustained damage valued at “thousands of pounds” after the River Great Ouse overflowed its banks. Buckinghamshire Council confirmed it had addressed 60 emergency calls in the aftermath of the storm, adding that it “stands ready to support however we can alongside the Environment Agency”. Ms Bailey reported that approximately 3ft-4ft (0.9-1.2m) of water had accumulated inside the rented residence she shares with her wife and their four-year-old son. She stated, “The kitchen’s all bowed, all of our furniture’s fallen apart. Our wedding presents and pictures were destroyed.” Ms Bailey further commented, “All you could see was my son’s toys floating past. He said, ‘Look Mummy, there’s my train’. “He doesn’t seem too bothered about it. You have to laugh, or you’d cry,” she said. The property had previously experienced flooding to “about skirting board height” in September, at which time the family was on their honeymoon. She explained, “Last time our family and friends rescued our stuff, but this time it was so quick. There was no time to take anything upstairs.” Ms Bailey mentioned that they lacked contents insurance, as providers had either declined their applications or proposed coverage at “crazy amounts of money.” She expressed, “We absolutely love our home. Everyone says to rent somewhere else, but I don’t want to move. But you have to weigh up the health risks.” She added, “It’s supposed to happen twice in a hundred years, but it’s happened twice in a few months.” Ms Bailey noted that the landlord and council “had been great,” and the local community had provided offers of replacement clothing and furniture. Louise Maloney, 58, who has operated the New Inn for six years, also reported being unable to secure insurance coverage because of prior flooding incidents. “We were assured by people that it wouldn’t happen again – they said the council had put things in place,” Ms Maloney stated. However, flooding in 2020 and again in 2024 contradicted these assurances. She elaborated, “Everything in the cellar is pretty much damaged – it’s basically thousands and thousands of pounds worth of stock gone to waste.” Ms Maloney added, “We came down here and just cried because this is our livelihood.” Ms Maloney described “the support from the community, either emotional or financial” as “incredible.” She concluded, “We’re trying to keep strong and getting ready to open again.” Thomas Broom, Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for climate change and environment, reported that the authority had supplied sandbags and introduced a new “Be Flood Ready” website. He stated, “I know residents and businesses will be worried and profoundly impacted by this latest flooding. “I want to assure them that the council will work with them to find solutions and help them build resilience, where we can, in high-risk locations for flooding,” he said. For updates on Beds, Herts and Bucks news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.