Storm Babet damage repairs in Flintshire to take months

Image source, J Futter

Image caption, Roads into Mold town centre were closed by floods on 27 October, leading to school closures

Damage caused by Storm Babet flooding is expected to take months to repair.

Flintshire council said the sheer volume of water unleashed on the county on 27 October overwhelmed infrastructure and damaged homes.

The council announced a council tax exemption for people whose homes had been significantly damaged.

An flood investigation is under way as repairs to highways and drains get started after more than 20 roads were shut and 1,650 sandbags were deployed.

The authority said council tax exemptions were available for up to six or 12 months depending on the severity of the damage and the nature of the work required.

To qualify, people must have been forced to leave their home due to flooding and the damage to the property must be significant and require work to make it liveable.

Transport cabinet member Dave Hughes called the storm "one of the most significant flooding events in Flintshire for many years".

The flood investigation will look for funding for schemes to improve the county's resilience to future flooding.