Bar forced to close after wind blows over statue

A pub has been forced to shut over safety fears after a statue blew over in high winds.

Barriers have been erected outside the Split Chimp Ale House, in Whitley Bay's Spanish City, after one of its two dancing lady statues on the roof was damaged, making the other unstable.

North Tyneside Council said it could not remove the remaining statue until early next week because of forecast bad weather.

Pub owner Mark Hall said it was "frustrating" because he would be shut on busy weekend days.

He also said he had had to pour away four casks of beer, because once opened they only had a shelf life of up to five days.

"It's a shame, we poured so much down the sink during Covid, and now we're pouring beer down the sink again through no fault of our own," Mr Hall said.

A long-planned navy reunion event was due to take place at the pub this weekend, but has now been cancelled.

Mr Hall said: "We're lucky to be in an iconic building and the last thing we want is anyone getting injured coming in for a drink."

The statues are fibreglass replicas of the copper originals which are on display inside Spanish City after they were damaged in a storm in 2021.

The originals date back to 1910.

Mr Hall added: "We can't control what's going on, nor can the council, but we've got to really look at why they came loose in such a short space of time."

The council said it had asked the pub to stay shut as a precaution and it was in contact with the owner "about the impact on business".

"We hope to remove the second statue early next week once conditions improve," the authority said.

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