Castle Shoes in Framlingham closes following Storm Babet

318 days after Storm Babet hit the country and caused major flooding in areas of the county, with Framlingham being one of the worst, Castle Shoes has closed its doors.

The shop was one of the worst affected in the town, with the flooding causing £60,000 worth of damage to goods and in November, the owners said the damage to the shop might be the "final straw".

Flooding outside the shop (Image: Hammond family)

There was hope the shop would be able to reopen earlier in the year, but owners Donna and Dave Hammond announced on social media that the shop will not reopen.

In a statement they said: "This has been a difficult time for everyone involved in the aftermath of the flooding.

"We have been trying to resolve our insurance claim, and even the intervention from our former Conservative MP, and an Insurance advisor, we find we are unable to move forward.

"We have no option but to now take our claim to the Insurance Ombudsman.

Donna and Dave Hammond (Image: Hammond family)

"As a result of the continued difficulties, we have had to take the heart breaking decision to close Castle Shoes permanently.

"This has not been an easy decision. We have lost 318 days of trading that we will never be able to recover from.

"Castle Shoes was established in 2016, and started from nothing.

"We quickly established a wonderful wide client base, and seen many young customers move from new born, to primary school and beyond.

The flooding at the shop and in Framlingham during the storm (Image: Hammond family)

"The Covid lockdowns were a challenge, but these were overcome, and our business was getting back on track until the devastation caused by Storm Babet."

They stated they would also continue to pursue their insurance claim, despite the Ombudsman taking potentially 12-18 months.

The statement continued: "It’s been a pleasure to serve you all, and wish you all the best for the future."

Flooding caused mould on the shoes (Image: Hammond family)