BUSINESSES have accused Worcester City Council of failing to support them in the aftermath of the city's flash floods last month.

The freak weather left homeowners and companies counting the cost - with businesses such as the Barley Mow pub in Sidbury still shut more than a month later.

We reported on Thursday how Worcester City Council is offering worst-hit home-owners a council tax rebate.

The authority has said it is looking at offering businesses a rebate, but only if their premises were vacated.

The landlord of the Barley Mow Chris Madin said the closure had cost him about £100,000 through loss of earnings and damage to stock and the premises, but the building had not been vacated.

Mr Madin said: "I hoped the council might support us because at the end of the day we pay our taxes. It's not good if they won't but I've yet to hear what they have to say."

Trevor Rogers, owner of TSR Engineers on Worcester's Shrub Hill Industrial Estate, said about £8,000 of damage was caused to their factory when about one million gallons of water flooded into it.

Welders, sheet steel and gas bottles were among property damaged and sewage also seeped into the premises.

Mr Rogers said they only moved to the unit three days prior and it took a week to clean up.

He added: "I'm quite pleased residents affected will get a rebate but I'm not pleased with why nobody from the council will talk to us. I'm horrified we pay business rates out but we can't get anything knocked off - I'm dismayed we haven't even had an approach from them."

The King's Head in Sidbury, Worcester, suffered more than £10,000 of damage after it was flooded and lost power. It took two weeks to rectify and the pub was shut for two days, but again not vacated.

Landlord David Tew said: "It's not very good really. They don't seem to be helping us but we just had to get on with it and clear up otherwise we'd have lost business. No one was offering to help."

The council's head of finance Grahame Lucas said they were exploring the issue.

He said: "Where businesses properties have been vacated as a result of flooding we can give the property an exemption from business rates for the period it's vacant.

"I'm not aware we've had any approaches as yet although we may well be having some as a result of the Worcester News article. Obviously if people write in we can address their concerns."