The Smithfield pub in Derby had to close after water from the River Derwent submerged the beer garden and got into the cellar.
Operator Emily Bowler described having to take a “deep breath” before getting rid of nearly all the pub’s barrels of real ale after realising they had been contaminated with river water.
The pub closed on Friday 8 November evening after water in the cellar reached waist-height.
She said: “My office was in there [the cellar], and everything you need to run a pub. We were going 'oh yeah, we've got that, it's downstairs'.”
It is still too early to estimate how much repairing the damage and replacing lost stock is likely to cost the pub, as management are still waiting to see if some equipment might be saved.
'Like a family'
Staff have been carrying out an arduous clean-up operation which has included moving stock out of soaked cardboard boxes and washing tools.
Bowler said she had been overwhelmed by the offers of help from local residents.
She said: “It's not until you can't come to your favourite pub you realise how much you miss it, and people are really worried about us.
“Everybody's been amazing. The staff have been incredible, we're like a little family.
Emotional time
“We have all pulled together and been looking after each other. It is quite an emotional time.”
The publican hopes to reopen the site on Friday 15 November with a party.
Bowler told The Morning Advertiser: “We want to have a ‘f* you, flood Friday’ party. That's very us. We'll get some grub on the go, get everybody together, get everybody pissed. Just to celebrate the fact we are back open and we are OK and that everybody is safe - that's the most important thing.”
The Met Office has predicted that some 15mm to 20 mm of rain could fall on the Derbyshire area tomorrow (Thursday 14 November), amid heavy floods in parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands this week.
