Pubs pay the price after stormy Christmas period
On Christmas Eve the Publican’s Morning Advertiser spoke with pubs in Wales that had been affected.
Since then the poor weather forecast has continued to sweep across the UK, with the Environment Agency having to issue numerous flood warnings.
Christmas bookings cancelled
The Fountain Inn, Trellech, Wales said on Christmas Eve the weather would prove to be “financially crippling”.
This week owner Jill Pocock said: “We’ve got two feet of sandbags around the front of the pub. There’s about 8 inches of water in the garden.
“Customers have been brilliant during the day time but there’s not a soul in the pub after 8pm.
“We had to cancel all of our Christmas bookings. That’s January and February’s money gone. But there’s nothing you can do, we can’t leave the building.”
The Nevill Crest and Gun in Eridge Green in Tunbridge Wells was without power for five days just before Christmas.
This meant the pub having to cancel up to 1,000 bookings from customers, including 150 on Christmas Day. The pub re-scheduled its Christmas session for January 12.
Weather keeps pub-goers at home
John Allen, general manager at the Navy Inn on the Plymouth Barbican, said: “There have been significantly fewer people coming into the pub than last Christmas, primarily just because of the weather.
“We were told by the Environment Agency to advise customers to evacuate their homes. People do stay at home when the weather outside is like this. It’s a shame.
“We take our own precautions to protect the pub as we are 20 yards away from the water. We want to stay open, to act as a nice respite for people.”
