Last updated at 13:46, Wednesday, 13 January 2010

LAKE District businesses are beginning to pick up the pieces following November’s devastating floods.
MOLLY LYNCH spoke to hoteliers and a tourist attraction on their road to recovery in 2010

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SOUTH Lakes businesses ravaged by the devastating floods which swept across Cumbria in November say they will bounce back in 2010.

Hotels and tourist attractions across the area which were forced to close due to flood damaged are set to reopen their doors later this year.

Three of the worst-hit hotels, The Whitewater Hotel in Backbarrow, The Lakeside Hotel and The Swan Hotel, both at Newby Bridge, all expect to be open again by spring 2010.

The Whitewater Hotel, suffered hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage and its restaurant area was immersed four-and-a-half feet underwater when water cascaded through it on November 19.

James Beech, operations manager, said: “In other hotels the water rose gently to the skirting boards, but the bridge became a sort of dam.

“It was unreal. We were expecting an inch or two of water, not four to five feet. The fire brigade came and told us to evacuate the hotel.

“I have not been able to put a definite cost on the damage yet, but it’s certainly hundreds of
thousands of pounds worth. It’s possible that it will go into millions. I was very proud of the way my staff acted but unfortunately there have been some redundancies.

“In the hotel at the moment we are stripping the kitchen. If any of the equipment is salvageable then it will be kept and sterilised, but anything else will be put in the skip. We have a wedding booked on April 18 and I have told the bride we will be open. That’s my target.

“We’ve got to remain positive, that’s the only way we can move forward.”

Mr Beech said they hoped to open a small restaurant in the lounge bar to keep the hotel ticking over and ensure they are in people’s minds.

A spokesman for the Lakeside Hotel said: “We are hoping to be open in January at some point.”

Jonathan Denby, chairman of Lakes Hospitality, owns three South Lakes hotels including the Newby Bridge Hotel, said: “We were very fortunate because my hotel was the only one of four in the Newby Bridge area that survived the flooding and it remained open without interruption.

“I am proud of the way my staff acted after the flooding hit, inviting in all of those who had found themselves without food and accommodation. Any of the rivalries were forgotten about and everyone pulled together.

“It looks as though most of the hotels will be open by March, which is when the Lake District starts to get busy again. I am confident that in 2010 businesses will be able to pick themselves up. Many of them will be refurbished when they re-open in the new year and I am looking forward to them opening again.

“Everywhere has experienced a downturn in trade because of these awful images in the media put people off coming, but the message to the world now is that the Lake District is open for business.

“The support and camaraderie shown by the people of Cumbria has been overwhelming. Cumbria is a very nice place to live and the people are very friendly and supportive and I think that has been shown in recent weeks with the floods and aftermath.”

Tourist attraction Lakes Aquarium, located near to Newby Bridge, was forced to close at the end of November after being badly-hit by flooding.

The initial clean-up is now over and work has begun on drying out the site, which is expected to take several weeks.

A spokesman said: “The creatures, which were largely unaffected by the flood, continue to be cared for on a day to day basis by the animal manager and his team who are on site daily to feed the animals, clean enclosures and provide the essential enrichment that many of the mammals require.”

The aquarium is expected to re-open in March.

First published at 10:04, Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk