The owners of a Lincolnshire squash club say they face a £15,000 bill and a “massive recovery task” after Storm Babet ripped through their facility.
Carpets were ripped up, wooden doors blown apart while the two squash court floors at Horncastle Squash Club were swollen and twisted up and will have to be replaced after the River Bain burst its banks.
“It’s been horrific really. We could nothing about the water rising,” said operator Martin Wells.
Twelve years ago, the venue flooded and was covered by insurance. This time, the club was unable to be insured for any future flood damage.
It meant that the club has been forced to crowdfund and over a week on, over £6,000 has been raised.
“The squash community in Lincolnshire has been amazing,” said Wells. “They are putting on a 24-hour squashathon and other events and money has come in from the US and Australia. It is quite touching really.”
Hornchurch has around 130 members, with 40-50 members of the club gym.
“We are now in a very dangerous position of not being able to open the club for squash for a very long time, if at all!” the crowdfunder stated. “This all depends on being able to raise enough money to recover our courts and the club overall.”