GUSHING floodwater caused thousands of pounds worth of damage when it tore through a 280-year-old pub.
After months of refurbishment, The Horns Inn in Warrington Road, Acton Bridge, has reopened - and the only liquid flowing is on tap!
David Reilly, who manages the pub, lives on the premises with his partner Theresa Trickett.
His nieces were visiting from Scotland when water started creeping into the pub on August 10.
'My nieces first noticed it,' said Mr Reilly. 'They told me that water was going to come into the pub and I didn't believe it. Within 10 minutes it ran through the restaurant and the floor was submerged in about five inches of water.'
Contractors cleared the mess and Mr Reilly was about to sign them off when another downpour began.
'I thought it was the end of the matter, but we had another two floods,' he said. 'On the Thursday we had two or three inches of water. We got rid of that, but a week later it was a foot high.
'Apart from the damage to the pub, I lost a lot of personal stuff - I dabble with art and lost a lot of my paintings. We also lost camping equipment, bikes and power tools.'
Ernie Welch, who owns The Horns Inn along with the White Lion and the Rifleman in Winsford, said: 'The flood cost about £100,000. It poured through the pub like a river.
'We had to refurbish the kitchen, re-plaster the walls, damp course, redecorate and replace the food in the freezers.'
Mr Welch praised Advanced Solutions in Liverpool, which sorted out the damage, but says he suffered a loss of business for 16 weeks.
The incident was not all bad news, though. Mr Welch said: 'Before it was all brass and beams. Since it has been done out it has nice prints, candles and a homely country-kitchen feel.'
Mr Reilly added: 'I suppose it was a blessing in disguise. It was a bit drab before but has been repainted with pastel shades and is much more warm and welcoming now.
'We opened our doors on Monday and people are coming back as word gets around.'
