BUSINESSES across Herefordshire are counting the cost of the flooding.

Local businesses have been contacted by the Herefordshire and Worcestershire branch of the Chamber of Commerce to assess the impact of the severe weather.

The chamber's Gary Woodman said: "As most of our members are small businesses, this has resulted in dramatic effects for local businesses, whether directly or indirectly affected.

"Some are operating on the bare bones of staff, as people cannot get to work."

He added that businesses that distributed products or services were having to plan routes out of the county to visit clients in the rest of the country and those which were open were seeing fewer customers as people stay at home.