BUSINESSES in Bradford on Avon fear they will be left to fork out for repair bills in the event of more floods because insurers will not cover them.

A year after the Christmas Eve floods which saw the town come to a standstill, businesses around Silver Street are having to gear up for any potential emergencies by purchasing flood defences.

More than 500 homes were flooded in Wiltshire last year and many businesses had to close their doors for more than two months to clear up the damage.

The Swan Hotel was flooded with over a foot of water and owner James Sullivan-Tailyour said the lack of cover for flooding left many businesses with an additional bill after “an already stressful time”.

He said: “Because Bradford has flooded before, insurance companies won’t insure businesses because they say it is a choice to trade in the town. This means we are the ones left to pay for the clear-up and with a loss of income from having to close that doesn’t help us in any way.”

Last year many Christmas bookings had to be cancelled because utilities including water and electricity had to be switched off.

He said: “We couldn’t have done any trading during that time as we didn’t have any electricity. It was the beer cellar, my office and the store room which were most affected, including conference rooms, which were all out of order.”

“The council needs a place to store some sand so we are prepared. If our town is flooded, then that affects roads into Limpley Stoke and Winsley and it puts pressure on the other roads in this area of Wiltshire.”

Verity Fox, owner of Silver Street Tattoo Studio, echoed the concerns: “We have the same problem as everyone else in that we can’t get insured for flooding as Bradford is known for it.

“I think it is up to the council to do something about it in terms of defences. I have a flood guard provided by my landlord but you can’t judge how well it will work until there is a flood.”