A mail order company from Leominster has had an initial payment of over £1 million from insurer NIG for damage caused after it was hit by floods in the summer.

M and M Direct has received the cash following floods in July – but the bill could have been much higher had it not been for the quick thinking of management and four car jacks.

Two months’ of rainfall fell in just a few hours over Herefordshire on July 27, leaving internet and catalogue clothing retailer M and M Direct with £1.4 million worth of damaged stock.

However, the damaged clothing was not the only problem facing the company.

As torrents descended on its Leominster premises, the rising waters threatened to engulf the firm’s £400,000 computer server room, which the heart of the business’s operation.

Thankfully, staff took decisive action to save them. Four car jacks were borrowed from a local garage and the servers were jacked up to keep them away from the rising flood water.

M and M’s insurer NIG sent loss adjuster Crawford and Company to assess the damage.

Today, M and M’s finance director Chris Harle said: “It was horrific; although we’ve been unbelievably unlucky.

“Due to evasive action by the operations team and early intervention by loss adjusters we only missed a few days’ trading and an initial payment of £1 million was made.

“This has helped enormously with cash flow and allowed us to replenish stock, continue to pay suppliers on time and get the business functioning again. The service from NIG and Crawford’s throughout has been exceptional.”