11/03/2014 BBC Points West

Good evening. Homeowners and there's a

Good evening. Homeowners and businesses in Somerset have been

assessing the damage and filling out insurance claims following this

winter's floods. But for sole people, filling out forms isn't an

option, because they say after previous floods, they are now

uninsurable. Clinton Rogers reports. It's not going to be a pretty

picture, I know. You still need waders to reach the factory, but at

least you can get there now. This was how the site looked in January.

Only the roof of the building is visible. Today, Neil was gohng back

there for the first time ` nervous, frightened of what he would

discover. It's all become one, and it's just one huge tangled less I

can't believe what I'm actu`lly looking at. It was, he said, as if a

tsunami had hit. ?250,000 worth of wood sodden and mangled among the

broken machinery. Fallen trdes everywhere. One had come through the

side of the building. In total, Neil estimates around ?1 million worth of

damage. And all of this uninsured. We can't get cover. After l`st

year's flood, there is no stch thing as insurance cover. How are you

going to cope? We'll have to cope. What do you say to people who say,

"You're on the Somerset Levdls ` what do you expect?" We havd been

here for ten years. In the last two years, it has flooded. For dight

years, it didn't flood. Somdthing is wrong with the system. Do you ever

feel like giving up? No. Fedl like it, but I can't. Don't want to.

Well, Neil says he hopes to have his business up and running in the next

few days from a temporary f`ctory in Highbridge. In spite of all this

work, it will plainly be many months before they will be manufacturing

here again. Clinton Rogers reporting thdre.

Well, today, MPs heard the floods could cost the insurance industry

around ?400 million. The issue went before the Environment, Food and

Rural Affairs Select Committee, where insurers also warned that

proposed cuts to the Environment Agency could also affect future

premiums. Well, earlier I spoke with Malcolm Tarling from the Association

of British Insurers, and asked him if the floods mean some people are

now uninsurable. We do appreciate there will be some

property owners, whether thdy are homeowners or businesses, who are in

areas of high flood risk or may have suffered a number of floods in the

past, who will find flood insurance more expensive, and in some cases,

harder to obtain. In the majority of cases, flood insurance remahns

available at prices most people should be able to afford. A lot of

these excesses can run into ?40 000. Are you in the business of not

taking risks? In insurance, it is all about risk. Insurers have to

take risks. What we want to do is manage those risks. High excesses

are the exception rather th`n the rule, and they are only ever imposed

where the flood risk is so great that without a high excess, it would

be impossible to offer cover. You also have to remember that dven with

high flood excesses, those will always be dwarfed by potenthal flood

claims. A couple of inches, for example, of flood water in ` factory

or home could cause damage, for a home, typically between ?20,000 and

?40,000. For businesses, th`t cost can be considerably greater.

The opening day of the Cheltenham Festival saw 50,000 race`godrs go

through the gates. There were early victories for Somerset trainer David

Pipe and Gloucestershire`based Jonjo O'Neill. Our sports editor, Alistair

Durden, was there all day w`tching the action unfold.

A record first`day crowd of just over 57,000 were treated to some

gripping finishes and three local winners. The sunshine returned too,

as the crowds packed into Prestbury Park.

There are many ways to get to Cheltenham, but steam train has to

be the most picturesque. It is a perfect start to the day. Pdruse the

paper, back a few winners, or not, and it is the only way to travel to

Cheltenham. Limousines, and for the really wealthy, helicopters also

dropped off punters. The rest, coming by car, were still ddtermined

to do it in style. Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and wdlcome to

the festival! Cheltenham likes to honour its legends. Today, two` time

Gold Cup winner Kauto Star got to feel the buzz of the parade ring

again. Gloucestershire`trained The New One was hoping to write his name

into history in an eagerly anticipated champion hurdle, the

day's big race. He produced a strong finish to come in third. And it was

success for David Pipe, as the outsider, Western Warhorse,

surprised everyone, including his Somerset trainer, to win thd Arkle

in a thrilling finish. I was trying to persuade the owner not to run

him. I thought we could find easier races for him. Luckily I cotldn t

persuade him. Wins too for Gloucestershire trainer Jonjo

O'Neill, and Alan King from Wiltshire. For some, then, plenty to

toast. For others, well, thdre is always tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the Queen Mother Champion Chase ` one for thd

sprinters. And the weather here has been so mild and dry, there is even

talk that before the end of the week, they might have to water the

course. Football now, and it's been a busy

evening for our teams. In the Championship, Yeovil lost 1`0 at

home to Ipswich after failing to hit back after a first half goal. In

League One, Swindon also lost at home. They were hosting Wolves, but

only managed a single goal hn a 4`1 defeat. Better news, though, for

Bristol City, who were away at Peterborough but won 2`1. In League

Two, Bristol Rovers lost 2`0 at home to Dagenham, while Cheltenh`m

managed a 1`1 draw away at Oxford. There is more news and information

on your local BBC Radio stations and online. We're back with you in

Breakfast tomorrow, but for now let's get the latest weather with

Ian. I'm optimistic tomorrow will

brighten. It will be a storx of a lot of cloud through the morning,

and through the afternoon, we might see more in the way of sunshine

Footy`mac, the cloud cover will be extensive. Temperatures up to three

or five degrees Celsius. I would caution parts of Gloucestershire. It

may take a good part of the day to wear away. It would probablx find

towards Wiltshire, is cover starts to break up. The winds will be

light. The cloud will not ldad to rain. Temperatures will reflect

where the sun comes through, up to 15 Celsius. Under the cloud, more

like eight or nine degrees. Thursday will be a day with a lot of fog

around in the morning. It mhght take a while to clear.

Thursday. It will brighten up as the day goes on. Here is the UK

forecast. Plenty of dry weather over the next

few days, especially across southern areas. That is courtesy of

high-pressure, keeping the weather fronts at bay to the north-west It

was cold and grey across southern areas today. Further north, lots of

bustling sunshine after a cold start. The same