A business next to a village brook says it can no longer get insurance cover against flood damage after making a claim following flooding last year.

Sarah Ward, owner of The BREWery in High Street, Sileby, made a claim after the shop was forced to close for eight days when the brook flooded in January 2025.

Ward said that when the policy came up for renewal, her premium quadrupled to £1,600 and flood cover was removed.

"I'm covered for theft, fire, liabilities with public and that kind of thing, but not for flooding," Ward said.

"At one point I had the insurance brokers on the phone saying that no company wanted to insure me because we were such high risk because of the flooding.

"My current provider then agreed they would continue our insurance as they have done for the last 10 years.

"However, the premium quadrupled."

Ward, 45, said the business had been flooded from the brook three times over the past ten years, although the road floods "numerous times every year" without always causing damage to the business.

Ward said: "Sometimes we're lucky it can just flow the other way and we escape."

Following flooding in 2020, Ward said the business had received removable "knee-high" flood gates which were installed at the front of the shop.

In past floods prior to January 2025, Ward said she had not claimed through her insurance and "just sucked it up".

But because the shop was closed for over a week, Ward said she was forced to claim as "we just couldn't afford to be shut for that long".

"The brook is our neighbour that we don't really want to have," Ward added.

"We've been here 10 years and it is getting worse every year.

"When we first opened the insurers looked into it and we haven't flooded here for 25 years.

"So, the fact we're flooding multiple times every year is quite worrying.

"Going forward, will we survive another flood?

"I don't know because we're not insured now.

"So that's the reality of it, closing down businesses if that's the case if I can't afford the next shop refit."

Gemma Overton, founder of the Sileby Flood Action Group, said: "I know people who have actually left the village because they are that concerned about the flooding.

"It causes a lot of anguish, a lot of stress, people can't get to work.

"A five-minute journey can take two hours, it is ridiculous."

A community brook clean has been organised by the group on Sunday morning to try and remove debris from the waterway.

At an earlier gathering in May, volunteers were able to remove 12 tonnes of silt and mud from the watercourse, Ward said.

Adam Tilbury, cabinet lead for environment and flooding at Leicestershire County Council, said the authority had worked with its partners and the local community to conduct "drainage maintenance, gully cleansing, and inspections in known flood risk areas" over the summer.

The council urged residents to be vigilant around their flood risk and to sign up for flood warnings.

A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers added: "We appreciate how stressful flooding can be for business owners.

"If you're struggling to find suitable cover, a broker may be able to help.

"You can also use British Insurance Brokers' Association's Flood Insurance Directory to connect with a specialist provider."

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