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Photographer's life's work destroyed in flood

Aga Tetera Photography A woman wearing a dark blue padded coat and wellington boots carrying a shovel while standing inside a flood-damaged photography studioAga Tetera Photography
Agnieszka Tetera, also known to family and friends as Aga, says she has been left without a studio but has bookings every day, many of which she has had to cancel

A photographer said she watched in despair as her life's work was destroyed by flood water.

Agnieszka Tetera, 38, had spent 10 years building her photography business and had a studio in her garden in Corporation Road in Belgrave, Leicester.

On Monday night, after severe flooding hit the East Midlands, properties in and around Corporation Road had to be evacuated as water reached waist height.

Mrs Tetera said all she could do was watch as what looked like a river gushed into her property.

Aga Tetera Photography An image of a flooded room with a sofa and chair covered in a polka dot fabric with materials and unidentifiable equipment engulfed in waterAga Tetera Photography
Aga Tetera said it looked like a river approaching her door

The photographer, who specialises in capturing photographs of newborn babies, said: "Seeing the water damaging all the stuff I worked so hard for was heartbreaking.

"It was all destroyed in front of my eyes and there was nothing I could do."

After the same area was hit by flooding during Storm Henk in January 2024, Mrs Tetera said she and her husband had been prepared with sandbags to protect their home.

But they did not expect the back of the property to be so badly affected.

"Last year was nowhere near as it was this time. We didn't expect this at all," she said.

'My heart sank'

"When we realised it was going to be bad, we tried to make some sandbags at the back.

"But when I saw the water coming, it looked like a river approaching the door, my heart just sank."

Mrs Tetera added her children were also "very distressed" by the situation.

She said: "Now we're thinking, 'what about next year and the following years?' It's not a nice feeling."

While Mrs Tetera said she had business insurance, her coverage was limited when it came to flooding.

Aga Tetera Photography An out building in a back garden surrounding by flood water Aga Tetera Photography
Mrs Tetera said she had tried to move items in her studio off the ground but the water was "getting higher and higher"

After sharing her ordeal in a Facebook post, Mrs Tetera was encouraged to set up a crowdfunding page.

Since then, she said she had received offers from other photographers to lend her their equipment, money and other support.

Mrs Tetera's studio was one of hundreds of properties that were internally flooded across Leicester and Leicestershire by Tuesday, according to the Environment Agency.

On Monday, a major incident was declared as dozens of people were rescued.

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