Delay in reopening Boscastle flood pub

Staff at a pub that was completely wrecked by floods in the summer are putting the business back together.

When severe floods hit the Cornish town of Boscastle, the Wellington Hotel was completely devastated, with the first floor collapsing onto the bar.

Licensee Paul Robertson managed to lead the customers in the pub to safety as the ground floor was submerged in 100 tonnes of water, but when the flooding eased he was left with a ruined building.

After five months the efforts to rebuild have been slow and insurance repayments have been delayed, meaning that early predictions of a spring re-opening have been put back to May.

Suzanne Harari, general manager at the Wellington, said: "It's frustrating for us and everyone in the town because it's slow progress.

"Once we cleared all the water and mud from the pub we discovered there was other work that needed doing and we've recently been told that a large part of the work won't be covered by insurance.

"We're trying to stay positive though and feel confident we can get things ready for May and are already taking bookings."

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Floods devastate pubs (26 August 2004)