Rossendale charity shop devastated by Storm Bert flooding just days after opening

A charity shop owner has been left heartbroken after his store was ruined by flooding from Storm Bert just four days after opening.

Andrew Jones, 39, who runs Bacup Bargains in Rossendale - a community support hub - said the flood damage occurred on Saturday (November 23).

In a desperate bid to prevent water from entering the premises, he used stock from the not-for-profit organisation, which had only opened its doors on Wednesday (November 20). Now, Andrew and his team of volunteers are faced with the task of cleaning up the shop, leaving him "devastated," , reports Lancs Live.

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"I've been left devastated, truly devastated," he said. "When we got the building, we weren't aware of any flood risks. We did our research and found that there's been times where the water has got high up, but never to the point where it's flooded the buildings."

He described the weekend's events as unprecedented, saying: "It was a whole new level on Saturday and Sunday, it's something that I've never seen before. We've had to do a good clean-up operation, we've had to put some more carpet down and buy new mats."

The flooding has also impacted the business financially, as Andrew explained: "People haven't been able to come and visit the business, so we've lost money that way as well. We just want people to come and support us, so we can help them."

He recalled how the floodwater became "deeper and deeper", leading him to use some of his stock to create a barrier. This decision resulted in a loss of £100 worth of items that could have been sold.

Andrew said: "It started around dinnertime on Saturday, I saw it coming