Commercial printer Pagefast Print & Publishing in Lancaster, Lancashire, has seen almost all its printing equipment ruined by storm floods, including a Horizon SPF/FC-200L bookletmaker installed just two months ago to “futureproof” its business.

Managing director Keith Simpson said: “It’s a write-off. We’ve had four feet (1.2m) of river and sewage water in here. We’re in the process of clearing it out.”

Pagefast’s Heidelberg Speedmaster 72 V, Heidelberg Platen, SORM and Cylinder and newer Polar guillotine and a Stahlfolder were all ruined.

He said the £700,000-turnover business was hit by a double whammy of the nearby River Lune breaking its banks but also surface water coming from further up the hill from unusually high rainfall over the weekend.

“We had 14ins (35cm) of rain on Saturday night and Sunday. The main road behind us was closed and all this water was coming down the hill. We were getting flood water in both directions. Lancaster is almost at the sea so it’s all come our way.” 

But unlike the river Kent further north, the River Lune has not burst its banks for decades.

“We didn’t suspect,” Simpson said. “We were more concerned about our friends that live at Milnthorpe, we helped them evacuate.

“It never occurred to us that our business was in danger from the Lune, we’re pretty much above the river and we didn’t have any indication that this storm would be any different to the other storms over the past 20 years.”

But he said it became clear by 1am on Sunday that everything on the bottom floor of his 557sqm rented premises would be beyond help. Staff could not even get near the building until yesterday.  

Since then, the company’s 10 staff have been sluicing mud and tackling power outages.

More than 42,000 properties were affected in Lancaster, Carnforth and Morecambe after floodwater swamped Lancaster's main substation on Saturday. Power company Electricity North West has sent food vans to the city to feed those without power.

The company’s studio and office, on an upper floor and Konica Pro C751 were spared the deluge but have lost internet connectivity.

Simpson said he understood he would be completely covered by his insurance, with the claim likely to be £800,000 to £900,000 for damage and lost work.

Pagefast is continuing to trade by contracting out work to other “friends in print”, such as MTP Media in Kendal, Cumbria, a town which saw some of the worst flooding after the River Kent rose to its highest recorded level over night on Saturday.

Meanwhile the flood has also damaged roads and railway lines.

Further upriver at Burneside papermaker James Cropper had part of its site flooded by water from the nearby River Kent, according a statement, causing damage caused to warehousing, facilities and materials. 

But the company said “despite some challenging circumstances everyone has remained safe”.

The papermaker, which produces Colorplan for GF Smith as well as paper for the Royal British Legion’s Remembrance Day poppies, said that successful implementation of emergency procedures minimised the overall impact, although its share price fell by 5.2% from 659p to 625p on the news, before rallying to 631p by this morning.

“Subsequently damage to structures and key equipment appears relatively limited, although there will be some disruption as site clean-up operations are undertaken and certain raw materials re-supplied,” it said.

The company added that it was in talks with its insurance broker. It is covered for losses to goods and consequential losses, with an excess of £15,000 for goods and £1m for consequential losses.

GF Smith joint managing director John Haslam said: "They've worked around the clock to get back up and running. Everything is under control and we don't expect any disruption to supplies."

Meanwhile the government's Cobra emergency committee agreed council tax and business rate relief for around 5,000 properties in Cumbria and Lancashire yesterday afternoon.

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for wind and rain from 6am this morning and emergency services remain on "high alert”.

Has your business been disturbed by Storm Desmond? Contact Sarah Cosgrove on sarah.cosgrove@markallengroup.com.