Pears will keep heads above water

The county have already lost £170,000 revenue through not being able to stage any of their four Twenty20 games at their headquarters plus the cost of clean-up operations after the ground was submerged in four metres of water. And another £80,000 to £100,000 is under threat if Friday's televised floodlit Pro40 game with Hampshire is called off.

But Newton said: "The club is secure. What it means is your plans for the next few years, to do bits and pieces here and there, be it improved cricket and members facilities or whatever, will have to go on hold. It may also affect our budgets for staffing."

He added: "From making a surplus of around £50,000 a year for the last four years, it means we will have to post a huge loss this year which has got to be made up in future years.

"But I stress we have not got people knocking at the door. There is no danger of the business going down but it makes it tougher for a few years."

Newton is confident the playing side of the club will not be affected and is hopeful the recent floods will not put off would-be investors in the £10 million redevelopment of New Road which has received planning approval.

He said: "The money we receive from the ECB is used primarily for the players' budget and you've got to have a team. Ground development is also a separate package.

"Will these floods put people off investing? It could do. I don't think so because the developments are all above the flood plain."

Members have already started donating money to the county as it looks to pick itself off the floor after what Newton describes as the "biggest disaster" in its history. But Newton is not in favour of launching an appeal.

He said: "I'm not a huge fan of going out to appeal for funds because at the moment we have thousands of members and customers who are not getting value for money because of what has happened."