We went to the South Wales valleys at the end of last year to speak to some people about the impact of the flooding caused by Storm Bert in late 2024. Mill Street in Pontypridd was completely washed out - all of the units were flooded, and since the Storm Dennis damage in 2020 there’s no available insurance. We spoke to Jeffrey Baxter, the co-owner of Storyville Books on Mill Street, about his plan for the future of the business in such a hostile environment. Despite the likelihood of the floods recurring, he’s driven to continue as he loves the community he’s built around the business. Simon, an employee at Toper Crispy, told us about how difficult it is to keep a fish and chip shop open when the fryer is so expensive and vulnerable to water damage.

[Simon didn’t want to give his second name or be photographed, so all the images here are from Storyville Books.]