Flash floods in Purley over the last few months, which left cars and bins overturned, have left business owners fearing for their futures. Lucindas women’s clothing boutique has been a fixture of Purley for the past 40 years. According to 75-year-old owner Mary Coughlan, the family-run business has survived recessions and become the longest-running family business in the town centre of the Croyd on neighbourhood.
Lucindas occupies a central point on Russell Hill Parade and its distinctive signage on the side of the shop has become familiar to locals and passers-by. However, its very location at the bottom of Purley valley places the business in a uniquely difficult position. In the years since opening, Lucindas has constantly had to deal with floodwater surges, which build up into a ‘reservoir’ behind her shop.
Once the flooding eventually subsides, Mary is often left with ruined stock and a courtyard of ‘stinking waste’ and rats. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Mary told how this problem keeps her up at night and now threatens a business which has brought people into Purley for years. She said: “When the heavens open and we have a real monsoon, we don’t have a hope then.
We have a bottleneck at the back of the shop, and without fail it comes down like the rapids and builds up like a little reservoir.” From the frontage and inside the boutique, the thought of dirty floodwater seems miles away. However, beyond the glamorous shop floor,.
