Flood-hit pub pins future on new defences

The owner of a pub which was forced to close for months due to severe flooding said she hoped new barriers would help protect it as heavy rain hits the region.

The Royal Oak in Brandon, near Coventry, was flooded 11 times over about four months and was devastated by Storm Henk in December.

Owner Khara Schrijvers said two new barriers will provide "reassurance" that the pub will be protected from severe flooding in the future.

The Met Office issued a warning for heavy rain for the West Midlands on Monday, with between one and two inches (30 to 50mm) expected to fall.

The new custom-built aluminium barriers have been installed on brick walls surrounding the pub, which is located in Station Road in the centre of the village.

Ms Schrijvers said the walls will hopefully prevent flooding or at least reduce the rate the water would flow towards the building.

"The idea is that, if we have a situation like we’ve had before, when water starts coming into the front of the pub that it holds it back until the drains can catch up," she said.

"If it gets any worse than it was last time, water will start pooling over but the idea of that is it slows the rate of water coming in as opposed to how it used to flood in."

Ms Schrijvers said she questioned the pub's future after Storm Henk, but said they decided to take proactive measures to protect the building instead of closing down.

About £180,000 was spent on repairing damaged roofs, burst water pipes and cracked floors following the flood.

"There were points we thought, last year, is there any point in carrying this on," she said.

"There’s just so much uncertainty.

"There were four months of almost not knowing where we stood - would it happen again - what do we do if it happens again?"

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