Pub landlord vows to come back stronger following devastating flood

The torrential downpours that hit parts of Peterbororugh on Sunday (August 16) caused drains to overflow and left up to a foot of water outside and flowing into the family pub and restaurant on Main Street, Yaxley.

Dean, his partner Annie and several members of staff were present at the time and rushed to put sandbags in place and call around the people with bookings to tell them they had to cancel.

Neighbours arrived on the scene with a pump to help clear the water but the volume was too great and the pub looks set to be closed for at least a week as work to repair the floor takes place.

The flooding comes as a bitter blow to the landlord as the premises had successfully re-opened following the Covid-19 lockdown, with the creation of outside pods to allow small groups to social distance. 
Some bands had been booked to provide entertainment and the restaurant’s speciality Sunday dinner was set to return on the day of the flooding.

Work had also just been completed on re-decorating the restaurant, with a new chef and menu in place, both projects will now have to be re-done.

The pub is planning to open the outside bar as soon as possible as a first step on the road to recovery as well as a ‘thank you’ to the local community.

Dean said: “The community has always supported me, even a ‘hello’ from people would be a great feeling at the moment. I’m just trying to keep smiling.

“It’s just a shame because we had over 50 new people visit us because of how safe we had made them feel.

“We even had people who have been very wary about going out tell us how safe they felt while here.

“We are a place where people can come, bring their family and be there for each other. That’s what a local pub should be.

“The brewery has been 100 per cent behind us and I urge people to remember we’re here and that we will open our doors again as soon as we can.”