AN 81-YEAR-OLD businessman whose family has spent decades building up their Wyeside caravan park says the storms and floods have left it looking like a bombsite.

Sterrett’s Caravan Park co-owner Larry Sterrett says the Symonds Yat West park, which featured in hit Netflix series Sex Education, suffered millions of pounds’ worth of damage with 85 privately-owned caravans written off, and it could take years to recover.

But the defiant octagenarian says that although they are ‘dead’ for this year’s summer season, they will bounce back.

Floodwater reached record levels at the park, and caravans were inundated despite being raised on stilts following previous floods.

Loss adjusters and insurers met with Mr Sterrett and others to start the process of piecing the business back together last week.

The park, which is near the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo and the ancient St Dubricius Church, has been in Mr Sterrett’s family since before the Second World War, and although it flooded in 1989 and 2002, Storm Dennis’ rage was the worst ever.

Larry has been in the business, which is also part-owned by the Rolinson family who own the flood-hit Saracens Head Inn on the opposite side of the river, for 38 years.

And he said: “The flooding has got worse each time. In 1989, we had 60-odd new caravans coming onto the site which were lifted up a little bit to suit the insurance company.

“And in 2002, there was probably another eight inches of water, of which half the caravans got flooded. To suit the insurance company, we lifted the vans up six inches above that level.

“But this flood now was two feet more again. It was unbelievable. We had five feet (of water) in the office and that is why they are all written off.

“You are talking about several million pounds’ worth. At the moment, we’re just dead. We don’t have a business.

“We are looking at complete new bases on every pitch to be able to fit a floatation device which some parks have got so we can get

reinsured.

“There is a long way to go and a lot of money for us to fork out to get it all done.”

Mr Sterrett has spent ‘hours and hours’ on the phone with the bad news to the caravan owners whose vehicles were stationed on the site.

He has now written to them with the latest news concerning the insurance of their vans.

However, the park itself has not got flood insurance, said Mr Sterrett.

“The caravans are all privately owned,” he said. “Three up here (on some higher ground) and the Lodge are ours and they were not affected. They will carry on and the touring and camping will carry on through the summer.

“But as for the main business, it will mean gradually getting the vans off, re-doing all the pitches and then bringing the owners who will buy new caravans through the insurance company, back on and get them re-sited.

“In round terms, we are looking at maybe getting half of them back on. So we will have half an empty park.

“We will have the next few years to fill it with new customers.”

Mr Sterrett said they were looking at five years before “you can make any impact on some of it, at least”.

He added: “We will work at it. We have been at it for 38 years and it’s 38 years down the drain at the moment but that is a big chunk of my family’s life.”

The Saracens Head has also been closed since the floods hit on February 17, but The Old Court, where the bar cellar was completely flooded and 21 people had to be evacuated by fire and rescue, has been able to reopen.

Worshippers at St Dubricius have meanwhile moved services to Ganerew while the clean up of the 13th century church continues.

Downstream in Monmouth, the 12th century Dixton Church suffered its worst flooding in 73 years just a day after the completion of a £130,000 chancel restoration.

Water was six foot deep inside, and Rev Penny Powdrill said: “It’s such a mess. Most of the hymn and prayer books were so damaged we couldn’t save them.

“The chancel arch has plates recording previous flood levels and this was one inch below the highest in 1947.

“Over the years we’ve removed things at risk of damage, like carpets, in favour of things that can be picked up quickly and placed out of harm’s way – but this time everything was wet and muddy.

“Even the visitors’ book was under water.

The church was already facing the prospect of finding a small fortune to replace the main roof.

“What we need now is a band of volunteers with the know-how, time and energy to fill in grant applications,” she said.

If anyone can help, they should email [email protected]