Flood-hit pubs face struggle to recover

Pubs in South Yorkshire are beginning the long journey back to normality after the horrendous floods of the last three weeks.

Marston's Inns and Taverns was forced to close nine of its pubs in Hull, Doncaster and Rotherham due to the unprecedented summer downpour. Five of those pubs have now reopened.

"I have been here for 27 years - we've had pubs under water that have never been affected by floods before," said managing director Derek Andrew.

"Unless you have been here and experienced the extent of the flooding, it's hard to appreciate it.

"The cellars are the real problem - so we may have to install ground-floor cellars. There will be some big refurbishment projects ahead.

"Even where a pub is not under water, the surrounding community may be flooded - so no-one is able to get to the pub. Access is a real issue."

Yorkshire-based tenanted operator Tadcaster has had problems with pub cellars.

While the tenanted operator was able to get some pubs up and running within 48 hours, others, such as the Drop, in Barnsley, have taken two weeks to get started.

"Some brewers require a sanitation certificate before they begin work in the cellar, which means that swabs have to be taken and sent off," said managing director James Crawfurd-Porter. "This has been frustrating."

Mitchells & Butlers estimated that about 70 of its pubs have been hit by the unseasonal weather.

"Most re-opened within 24 hours - so we were reason-

ably lucky given the magnitude of these floods," a spokeswoman said.

"Mostly it has meant

cleaning cellars and replacing the carpets."

Ironically, the only Mitchells & Butlers pub that remains shut is the Boat, in Doncaster.

FSB and LTC offer help - but government intervention is needed

Interest-free loans of up to £5,000 are available to help flood-hit pubs that are members of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The FSB has set aside £500,000 to fund short-term loans for "any FSB members suffering severe trading

hardship resulting from the present flood crisis".

FSB national chairman John Wright said: "As the UK's largest business organisation, the FSB is determined to help its members get back on their feet as soon as possible following this disruption.

"We operated a similar assistance fund during the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001. But we still need Government

bodies, such as the Environment Agency, to focus as much on assisting businesses to get back on their feet as they do on helping people return to a normal life in their homes.

"It will be of little comfort to someone to arrive back in their house, only to discover that their employer has gone bust," he added.

FSB members should contact their regional office for details.

The Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) is also asking pubs hit by floods to call the charity for assistance on 01344 884440.