The big cleanup

Walls of water, flooded cellars and stinking sludge are just some of the horrors of the recent floods. Noli Dinkovski reports from the scene

When he saw the first wave crash over the brewery wall, he knew it was time get out. Clearly, Monday 25 June was an extremely dramatic day for Kelham Island Brewery director Dave Wickett, one of the first to witness the river Don burst its banks at the edge of Sheffield city centre.

It was a flood that, according to Wickett, happened so quickly there was little anyone could do to prevent the extensive damage to the brewery, its pub, the Fat Cat, and several other freehouses along the riverside.

After ordering everyone to leave the brewery at 4pm, Wickett and Fat Cat manager Stephen Fearn stayed on, vainly trying to repel the tide.

"The water reached five feet deep in places - we couldn't do anything," says Wickett.

The water passed through at a remarkable pace and much had disappeared by the following day. But by then the brewery had lost all its beer - the equivalent of 40,000 pints. The ground floor has since had to be sanitised.

Pulling together

Events at Kelham Island were being replicated throughout the Yorkshire region as businesses and homes were hit by the freak weather conditions. Hundreds of pubs in the area were affected, many of which are thought to have lost thousands of pounds in stock and trade. However, the pub trade has pulled together with remarkable resilience in difficult times.

"Once the floods had gone, we were left with a covering of contaminated sludge two inches thick - don't forget that the sewage works broke down, and a chemical plant was affected as well," says Wickett.

That didn't stop Wickett and his army of staff getting straight to work with the challenging clean-up operation.

"The staff were amazing - they didn't have to come in, but they were here the next day," he says. "We formed a human chain, passing buckets of water from the brewery into the street - we even found a fish in one of them!"

Similar stories were occurring at the pubs in the area. Down the road at the Kelham Island Tavern, licensee Trevor Wraith desperately tried to move bottles up from the cellar to the first floor as water poured in above his head.

"We sealed the doors with bubble-wrap, but it was only a temporary stop-gap," he says. "By taking so much of the water, I actually think the cellar saved the pub from more damage."

The Kelham Island Tavern, however, still needs its floor replacing and remains closed while it waits for the building contractors.

"I hope we can open by the beginning of August, but it all depends on when the repairs can be done. Of course, it's hard to find a

plasterer right now," says Wraith.

Worst affected of all the pubs in the Kelham Island area was the Gardeners Rest: a peek through the dusty windows revealed a scene of devastation. Licensee Pat Wilson says that at its highest point, the water level reached the top of the bar.

"We're in limbo while we wait for refurbishment work," she says. "The support from the local community has been fantastic.

"When we didn't have electricity for a few days, people brought us everything, from gas heaters to simple radio batteries."

The impact of such support echoes across the whole of flood-stricken South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

And over in Hull, Marston's managed pub the Priory had no electricity for more than a fortnight as the city slowly recovered from the devastating effects of flooding.

"It's usually the case that the pub serves the local community - but recently that's been turned on its head," says licensee John Slide.

"You would not believe the help and support we've been given. One guy even offered to rig an electric cable from his pub to the house - a full 60 metres!"

The Priory remains closed while sanitation work continues in the cellar. Marston's area sales manager Terry Crockford says John and his wife Debbie have coped admirably.

"They have been incredibly positive despite having to live in purgatory for three weeks," Crockford says. "They've had to rely on their family for something as simple as having a shower. They've shrugged off this terrible situation without a fuss."

Help still available

It wasn't a solution that was possible at the Priory, but as a further demonstration of resilience some pubs managed to install temporary ground-floor cellars while their real ones were being sanitised.

At Sheffield's Fat Cat, they were equally keen to start trading as soon as possible - so they are currently serving beer from barrels in the pub hallway. "Business has been disappointing, but that might have something to do with the bad weather," says Fearn.

Marston's pub the Queens, in Hull, was fully operational by the Friday following the flood, thanks to a temporary cellar in the poolroom.

"At first it was difficult to get the message out that we were actually open," says licensee Marie O'Brien. "Trading was slow - but it was still better than closing and facing the possibly of losing staff."

O'Brien estimates that she has lost £9,500 worth of trade as a consequence of the flood. Running a managed house, however, she has suffered less of a financial impact than those operating tenanted and leasehold pubs, or freehouses such as the Kelham Island Tavern and Gardeners Rest.

"The amount of revenue we're losing isn't as important as the fact that we simply have no income," says Wilson.

Welcome help has been on hand from various agencies. "Yorkshire Forum has a £1m pot available for the clean-up, and we have submitted our claim to them," Wilson adds.

Some pubs are a long way from being ready - Mitchells & Butlers pub the Boat, in Sprotborough, near Doncaster, is still out of bounds while workmen strip and fumigate the completely flooded premises. They have been given until November to finish the job,

but are hopeful that it will be completed before then.

No figures are available on the number of pubs that do not have full insurance cover, but the figure is expected to be high.

"Our helpline has been pretty quiet, but I guess that's because most licensees are still sorting themselves out," says Licensed Trade Charity marketing director Liz Gaffer.

"We can provide important information on what people might be entitled to. And subject to certain criteria we might be able to offer some financial support."

l The LTC is available on 01344 884440 to assist licensees that require any advice.