Flooding: Mop-up 'to cost £34m'

From the Banbury Cake, first published Saturday 28th Jul 2007.

Oxford faces a bill of almost £10m to clean up and fix homes in the city devastated by flooding.

Early estimates from the Association of British Insurers are that it will cost around £9.75m to deal with the 250 homes flooded in the city.

When the other 650 damaged homes in the county are added in, the bill hits £34m.

And while insurers are expected to pick up the bulk of the cost of repairs, some homeowners will be hit in the pocket with increases in their premiums.

Nick Gladwin, whose shared house in Earl Street, off Botley Road, was flooded by several inches of water, said: "We don't know what's going to be covered yet or how it's going to work.

"What's particularly worrying is that we might find that people might not want to insure in the area.

"I don't think it is acceptable that premiums will rise, but in reality that's what happens - like car insurance going up, because lots of cars get stolen."

But Alison Cobb, of Binsey, which was yesterday still cut off by flooding, did not plan to make an insurance claim.

She said: "I think it's going to be a smaller cost, mostly for relaying carpets and that sort of thing. But if it had been a huge cost, we would have had to claim.

"When you live in a flood plain you know it might happen."

Kelly Ostler, of the ABI, said that across the country claims for the last six months were in the region of £3bn - last year it was £450m for the whole year.

Walton Street insurance brokers Vale Insurance Services had been inundated with calls since the floods, according to manager Faizar Parvez.

And Keith George, of Thames City Insurance, in Oxford Road, Cowley, said: "It's hard to put a value on how much premiums are going to go up.

"Now there have been floods, it's going to be a lot harder for people to get insurance or, if they have it, it's going to put their premiums up."

Two people who have first-hand experience of how to get their lives back on track after being left temporarily homeless are Barbara Greenwood and Pauline Ximines, of Normandy Crescent, Cowley.

Twenty-four homes were wrecked after a water main burst in the street in January - and it was six months before Mrs Ximines, her husband and four children were able to return.

Mrs Ximines said: "It's not going to be easy.

"We have had a lot of problems and delays, being told something is going to happen at a certain time and they don't do it.

"We still have things to sort out now. I can't put in words what it will be like because for me it has been the worst time of my life."

And Barbara Greenwood, 72, said: "I feel very deeply for them because we know what's going to happen and how long it's going to take.

"It was four months for us but with so many more people being flooded it's going to take a lot longer. It was the most horrific thing we have ever been through and I wish there was something we could do to help."

A county council spokesman said it was too early to say if the floods would affect next year's council tax.

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