High street travel agencies have been forced to close their doors after Storm Dennis brought severe flooding to parts of the UK.
The Tui store in Pontypridd town centre in Wales was among a number of businesses submerged under water following heavy rainfall at the weekend.
“After significant flooding from Storm Dennis our store in Pontypridd is closed,” a Tui spokesman said. “The safety of our staff is always our primary concern and our teams will be on site to assess the damage and to arrange any necessary repairs.”
Hays Travel said it closed its store in the town on Sunday but it is now back open.
A spokeswoman for the agency chain said there was slight flooding at the back of the store and leaking from the ceiling due to heavy rainfall.
“Thankfully there is no lasting damage and the staff advised that everything has been cleaned up and was easily managed,” she added.
Meanwhile high winds damaged shop fronts and signs at south Wales-based Tailor Made Travel.
Chief executive Simon Morgan shut shops early on Saturday, at 3pm, but said his stores had escaped serious damage from Storm Dennis.
Staff whose homes or cars have been affected by the storm have been given time off.
One staff member from the Whitchurch store, Cardiff, was up most of the night trying to prevent her home from being flooded while other employees’ cars have been lost or damaged as a result of the floods.
Morgan said: “We have suffered a bit of wind damage with fascia and signage blown down but we are not dealing with sewage and water damage.
“Some of our staff has lost cars and one member of staff was up from 2am to 6am trying to stop the river water coming in her front door.
“As a business we have been extremely lucky. We have authorised special leave for all those that need it; we are a family business and we understand that looking after your home is very important.”
Although footfall will be down for many of the chain’s stores, Morgan said he expected business to get back normal quickly.
Traveltrail in Alcester, Warwickshire has closed while it deals with damage from severe flooding in the region.
A Facebook post from the company said: “Unfortunately our office in Tenbury Wells has been flooded.
“Please bear with us this week. We will keep you updated.”
Elsewhere in Bristol, coach operator Bakers Dolphin stepped in to the rescue when Storm Dennis threatened to ruin a half-term ski trip for 47 school children.
The group from Clifton High School was due to fly from Bristol airport to Nice on Saturday but faced a half-term at home after their flight was cancelled due to the severe weather conditions.
On hearing about their predicament, Bakers Dolphin worked through the night to make a coach available for the school group and booked a crossing on P&O Ferries.
The children were transported across the Channel to Grenoble and able to continue the journey to the ski resort.
Sales and marketing director Amanda Harrington said: “We have a great relationship with P&O Ferries and they and our drivers worked hard to ensure we were able to get to France.
“It was a great team effort and showed what could be done despite Storm Dennis.”