Flood rescue charity shop in Lancaster is flooded itself

A charity shop dedicated to raising money for a local flood rescue team needed major repairs after being flooded out.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Feb 2019, 11:40 GMT
Updated 28th Feb 2019, 11:42 GMT
Some of the flood damage at the Lancaster Area Search and Rescue charity shop on the Lansil Industrial Estate.Some of the flood damage at the Lancaster Area Search and Rescue charity shop on the Lansil Industrial Estate.
Some of the flood damage at the Lancaster Area Search and Rescue charity shop on the Lansil Industrial Estate.

The Lancashire Area Search and Rescue team charity shop on Caton Road in Lancaster had a burst pipe in the ceiling, and despite the pipes being insulated, it was so cold that when the heating came back on after the weekend, the shop flooded.

Charity shop manager Sue Calland said: “ Ironically Lancaster Area Search and Rescue is a flood rescue team and our operational team had spent all the Saturday training in the River Lune.

Some of the flood damage at the Lancaster Area Search and Rescue charity shop on the Lansil Industrial Estate.Some of the flood damage at the Lancaster Area Search and Rescue charity shop on the Lansil Industrial Estate.
Some of the flood damage at the Lancaster Area Search and Rescue charity shop on the Lansil Industrial Estate.
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“While they train for and have worked in floods many times usually the water is from rivers bursting their banks during massive rainfall, not inside our own building from our own water pipes!

“The charity shop volunteers and our operational team came and spent the next few days and evenings clearing the debris and cleaning any salvageable stock.

“We specifically owe a very big thank you to our friends Steve and Donna from S Truman Ltd who brought specialist water extraction equipment within 45 minutes and managed to save all our flooring. They extracted nearly 100 litres from our meeting and training room and were there for 10 hours.

“We still have the stock rooms to repair but the shop is now open again.”

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The charity shop raises vital funds for the LASAR operational rescue team.

The team responds to national flooding emergencies along with supporting statutory agencies locally within the Lancaster and Morecambe district. They also run a youth lifesaving club, ‘The Nippers’, who meet at 315 gym every Friday evening, as well as running flood response awareness sessions for local residents.

Sue said: “We did lose some stock in the deluge so would be grateful for any donations, especially furniture and we can collect larger items if you call 01524 846848”

Email [email protected] for more information about the charity shop or pop in to the shop on Caton Road.