Responding to storms which swept across Mid Wales a month ago, bringing widespread flooding, cost Powys Council £1.5 million, estimates show.

While the full cost will not be known until the next financial year, the council's finance panel heard that the council's efforts to respond to the rising rivers, which hits homes, roads and businesses, led to its financial underspend for the year being wiped out.

And the coronavirus outbreak is going to have a knock-on effect as well.

Head of finance Jane Thomas said the council's financial position for 2019/20 had looked rosy at the end of February, before the costs of flooding and coronavirus had to be factored in.

Ms Thomas, said: “At the end of February we were forecasting at that point an end of year underspend position of over £500,000.

“It could improve further as there are cost reductions we anticipated being deliverered.

“But there are a couple of things that will significantly impact on that.

“We’re still collecting data on the storms to submit a claim to the Welsh Government for the initial response cost.

“The situation on Covid-19 is going to impact on the council.”

Ms Thomas added: “The estimate from the February storms was £1.5million,  we have some work to do with heads of service on the claims and it will be based on the costs that we did actually incur.”

It is not yet known how coronavirus will impact on the authority's finances next year.

The council had been heading for an £583,000 underspend for the year to March 31, better than the predicted £6,000 figure at the end of January.

But the council could now face an overspend and be forced to dip into its reserves in order to fill the gap.

The report was supposed to go to cabinet for discussion, but has instead been noted by leader Cllr Rosemaries Harris under delegated powers after that meeting was cancelled.