Rugby club devastated by Storm Bert had no insurance

A rugby club which failed to find adequate insurance cover after being flooded in 2020 has been devastated by Storm Bert.

Eleri Jackson, 20, arrived at Newport High School Old Boys RFC to find it under water once again.

"For it to be ruined again within four years, we’re absolutely gutted," she said.

Eleri, who plays for the club's ladies' team, said they will have to rely on the generosity of others to help cover the thousands of pounds worth of damage.

"Seeing all the coaches and staff and players - the disappointment on their faces seeing this happening again is gutting. Fridges and electrics are ruined and all the furniture," she said.

Almost £2,500 has been raised in 24 hours which the club hopes will go some way towards being able to refurbish the premises.

The Divison One East club's chairman, Neil Short, said: "We’ve got some building cover but after looking through the small print, we’re not covered for any of the damage on this one.

"Maybe over the next few weeks we can think about doing some fundraisers but with Christmas coming up, people are not going to have a lot of money so I think we’re just going to have to suck it and see. It's devastating."

Mr Short said the club is lucky as it is run by volunteers and it has a number of sponsors, but he fears it'll get tougher if extreme weather happens more frequently.

"We have sponsors but before long this is not going to be viable. We’re not going to be able to continuously try to sustain situations like this," he said.

Businesses across Wales have suffered significant damage, including David Kyle's marketing business in Nantgarw, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

He arrived at his office to find the water had risen to above his ankles after the river Taff burst its banks on Sunday.

But the business owner said he has decided along with the landlord of his building not to claim on insurance due to the fear of how much the premium would rise.

"We are with flood risk specialists but it was hard enough trying to get insurance the last time around after Storm Dennis, so we've decided not to make a claim on this occasion.

"We've taken up the carpets and all the damage to things like plug sockets will have to be repaired. This is like the third time in five or six years to have new carpets," he said.

Mr Kyle said a few neighbouring businesses have suffered even more significantly, including one nearby family flooring company.

"I went to see them and just saw their faces. The water level was even higher for them. It's just awful," he said.

Louise Clark from the Association of British Insurers said: "The insurance industry can only do so much.

"We need government to play its part and part of that is continued investment in new flood defences, but also maintaining those flood defences that we already have.

"The ABI did a study a couple of years ago which set out that for every £1 you invest in maintaining flood defences, you actually save £7 in new capital."

On Monday, First Minister Eluned Morgan said the Welsh government had invested millions of pounds after Storm Dennis to help to protect people.

But Morgan said there will come a point where it will be "difficult to protect every home and every business in Wales" due to climate change.

She also admitted that lessons would need to be learned where flood prevention didn't happen.