BUSINESSES and residents in Monmouth have begun the clean-up after Storm Claudia left parts of the town badly damaged.

Once the water receded, it left thick mud, and debris but volunteers from the community came together and helped businesses and residents recover their properties from the devastating weather.

The Monmouthshire Beacon spoke to business owners who are gutted to see the aftermath of the storm and the affect it has had on their businesses.

Despite the destruction, the community has helped where they can and supported people in the clean-up.

Across the town people were relying on volunteers, who arrived armed with mops, buckets and cleaning supplies. Neighbours stopped to check on shop owners, and people in the community delivered hot drinks and food to exhausted staff as the work continued.

Helen Hollywell, owner of Monmouthshire Hearing Centre, said: “Words don’t put it into how we’re feeling at the moment, and there’s so many other businesses and residents who are going through the same thing as us.

“The first thing I did this morning was burst into tears.”

Another business who was severely affected by the floods was The Boat House Gallery.

Owner Jenny Chuter, said: “We have two shops which have been affected due to the floods, so we have had a very busy 48 hours. We’ve been clearing out lots of mud and trying to salvage as much as we can.

“We have run a little street sale where we’ve had a sale of some soggy paintings and people have been very kind and buying lots of work.

“A huge shout out to everyone who has come and helped, one guy came all the way from Birmingham.

“We couldn’t get access to this shop until yesterday afternoon because the water was so high, we finally got in this morning and it was just devastating.”

Business owners are unsure of how long it will take to get back up and running as they work to repair damage and replace equipment but the community spirit has been inspiring, with the town coming together to support people during this difficult time.