A company which had its headquarters wiped out by the Lewes floods is coming to the aid of schools and other public buildings in the area.

But staff at Owen Williams said it would be the best part of a year before many buildings would function properly.

The firm, responsible for the maintenance of 400 schools across Sussex, had to get its own business up and running before it could take major steps towards clearing up at the schools.

With 10ft of water in its offices in Brook Road and every piece of equipment from the computer system to the kettle beyond repair, the company had to act quickly.

Business development manager Steve Bachelor said: "On Thursday, as the water started to rise, we quickly realised it was going to be a major disaster.

"Our offices are close to the river bank and were among the first buildings affected.

"The priority was to get everyone out safely and get all the vehicles out of the car park.

"All the staff's own cars were saved but the water came up so fast we had to leave three company vehicles behind.

"Fortunately, our own operation is now up and running again.

"We found offices in Crawley and Haywards Heath and we are in full swing getting our clients' buildings back in operation."

With a workforce of 120, Owen Williams is one of the biggest employers in the town.

Mr Bachelor said: "We have been told our building will take nine months before it gets back to how it was.

"I expect it will take most other affected buildings a similar time.

"It was sad to see our offices in such a state.

"It was totally devastated, everything smashed, important documents stuck to the ceiling and walls and silt and mud everywhere.

"There were even rats running about in the offices.

"Luckily, we have back-ups of most of our work. Only the work from the previous couple of days is lost and we have been able to get copies of most of that from our clients.

"Now we are working flat out to get all our clients up and running."

The clean-up operation is not just a matter of mops and plenty of disinfectant.

Steve said most of the buildings will need major works carried out on them, from surveys to structural repairs.

This would involve arranging for assessors, loss adjusters, surveyors and salvage companies to visit in the right order.

Sussex Enterprise is appealing to the 6,000 chamber of commerce members across Sussex to help each other through the current flood crisis.

Director Richard Bianco said: "We are sure member companies who have not been badly affected will rally round to offer assistance."

Sussex Enterprise is encouraging members to call their information service on 0845 67 888 67 if they believe they can help with issues like production capacity, deliveries or even stock to help fellow businesses through the next few days.

Meanwhile, two-hour sessions of free advice are available to small firms in the Lewes area.

Accountants, business planners and employment advisers will be on hand to assist with the many implications of the flood The sessions are sponsored by East Sussex County Council and are available through the Brighton, Hove and Lewes Enterprise Agency - call Ben Payne on 01273 666800.