A BRADFORD sports club is still feeling the effects of the severe damage caused by the various storms that have swept through the district recently.
Bradford & Bingley, on Wagon Lane, was hit badly once again last weekend as storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin wrecked havoc on the area identified as most at risk in the district.
The club's pitch and surrounding areas, including car park and clubhouse, were flooded.
Amazingly, concerned parent Rebecca Slater has raised over £1,500 for the club to help cover the "significant" damage.
After visiting the facilities on Wednesday, club president Nick Patterson was surprised by the amount of damage that existed compared to previous years, most notably on Boxing Day 2015.
He said: "It is not quite as bad as 2015. It only went between two and three feet deep this time, so it didn't get everywhere.
"There is debris and branches on the first team pitch, and internally the bar, cellar and store room were flooded too.
"Everybody is a bit stoic as it is a case of here we go again. It is getting more and more frequent.
"The bar should be open on Saturday and the pitches will take a few weeks to dry out."
Mr Patterson feels the club are being neglected when it comes to flood safety and struggles to see how they can prevent it from happening in the future.
He added: "Our problem is not necessarily in Bingley, it is what is coming down the Aire valley. We are the bottleneck that gets it.
"It floods when the river gets to a certain level. We are right on the water table, so it comes through the ground.
"To beat it, we would have to build the club two metres higher on stilts. After Covid, we certainly do not have another money to do that.
"We get the feeling that we are the perfect flood area to protect Saltaire and down the river towards Leeds.
"We feel sacrificed. It is almost like they want it to flood on us rather than anywhere else.
"We are accessing the damage and seeing how we can prevent this in the future."
On Rebecca's JustGiving page, available by clicking here, she says: "If you can, please donate to the community trust that plays a vital part in providing activities for hundreds of local children.
"Any donation would be greatly appreciated."
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