THE devastating summer floods cost Worcestershire in excess of £1million.

The New Road outfit have announced they lost £1,164,114 over the past 12 months because of the 2007 floods.

However, an insurance pay-out of £300,000, a £75,000 grant from the England and Wales Cricket Board and donations of more than £17,000 meant the County ended the year with a pre-tax loss of £693,211.

Chief executive Mark Newton believes the devastation caused in June and July is the "worst disaster ever to hit a county cricket club".

"We never thought that the costs would be this high," admitted Newton. "We could have coped with the first flood, but it was the second one which really decimated us.

"We have to take the view that what happened last summer won't happen again for a very, very long time.

"If it were to happen again in say the next five to 10 years then it would become very serious."

Full story in tomorrow's Worcester News