Wales Floods: St Asaph Counts The Cost

Four days after floodwater swept through St Asaph in North Wales residents are beginning to see the full extent of the damage it caused.

The tiny city, in Denbighshire, was submerged on Tuesday when the River Elwy burst over flood defences following days of persistent rain.

Insurance assessors have told the people in the worst affected properties that it could be nine months before they can expect to return to their homes.

Some are moving in with friends or family, but most will need to move into rented accommodation.

Isla Jones, who lives on Roe Parc in St Asaph, is one of them.

"My mother-in-law's house is just round the corner and she has been flooded too. So we, along with the other 499 people, will be trying to find somewhere to rent," she said.

Wayne Jones, who lives near Isla, says he has already started work on repairs before his insurance company can assess the damage.

"They just said 'it's your house, go ahead'," he said. "Otherwise I'd just get depressed looking at the damage."

Neighbour Mark Stanley is an electrician. He has lost around £14,000 worth of tools, and faces losing his earnings until they can be replaced.

He says more should have been done to prevent the flooding.

He said: "We've all got A-levels in hindsight, but 12 years ago the river came within a few inches of bursting its banks and nothing's been done about it."

One positive thing to have come out of this event is the show of community spirit. Something Prince Charles will be able to see for himself when he visits St Asaph on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Clarence House said: "Following the terrible floods across areas of the United Kingdom in the past few days, The Prince of Wales is keen to thank emergency services and lend his support to some of the residents affected.

"The Prince decided to visit St Asaph because the city has been particularly badly hit by the flooding with over 180 homes in St Asaph affected."

Prince Charles has asked one of his charities, Business in the Community (BITC), to form a Business Emergency Recovery Group (BERG) to assist the recovery operation in St Asaph.