Extreme weather puts pressure on pubs
Weather warnings for snow and ice are expected to remain in place across the country until at least the end of Wednesday 18 January, according to the Met Office.
Some pubs have already been forced to temporarily close due to heavy rainfall, freezing temperatures and flooding over the weekend.
One such pub was the Old Lock and Weir in Hanham, Bristol, which saw flood water reach heights of 1 metre inside the pub after the River Avon burst its banks, the BBC reported.
Heavy rain
The pub shared a series of images to its Instagram page with a post stating: “Flood update…thankfully the river had chance to drop before the next bout of heavy rain came in.
“The weather forecast is looking a lot brighter for the next few days. We’re hoping the height of the water level inside has peaked. It shouldn’t take us long to turn it around and open our doors once the river has returned to a safe level.”
Another pub to suffer following heavy rainfall in Berkshire was the Cunning Man in Reading.
A post on the pub’s Facebook page said: “It's with sincerest apologies that we will have to close for today, due to a slightly wet pub. We will keep you all updated in due course. Have a great day and we will see you all soon.”
While pubs in Bewdley, Worcestershire, saw access to their sites restricted as the main bridge over the River Severn was temporarily closed following heavy rainfall with surrounding areas, including a nearby cricket ground, have been submerged with water.
Difficult times
Licensee of the Mug House pub in Bewdley, Hossey Saghri said: “It is very difficult for people to get into Bewdley because of the floods, the main road is shut so that has an impact.
“The majority of my customers are elderly and they get very worried about it.
“On [a] positive [note], we are very lucky on at our end, Seven side North, because we have the most fantastic barriers that keep the pub dry. The most difficult part of it is it's very difficult to get into Bewdley and the parking is very difficult.
“The most important thing is the roads are still dry, the pavements are dry, the sun is shining at the moment, all we ask is for customers to really persevere with it. It's not just about us, it's all the businesses in Bewdley, we need as much support as we [possible] during these very difficult times.”
