AFTER months of being closed due to the devastating floods, staff at a riverside restaurant in Worcester are celebrating its re-opening.

The Quay Restaurant, in South Quay, opened its doors to the public again on Thursday, March 27, for the first time since New Year’s Day.

Richard Hill, manager of the restaurant, said: “We’re relieved to finally have got it open, that’s all we wanted to do at this point after being closed for so long.

“It has taken a big effort from everyone involved to get it fit to open again and it’s massively appreciated.

“It was also a huge effort in battling against the floods to keep the place as damage-free as possible.”

The business was hit hard by the floods, with the financial loss incurred running into “tens of thousands”, Mr Hill said.

At its peak, Mr Hill said the water was 5ft on the outside of the building and was threatening to spill over the defences.

“Due to the loss of trade, the cost of the refurbishment we have had to do since, still having to pay the full-time staff, and the fact we don’t have any insurance against the floods as its too expensive, we lost an incredible amount of money,” he said.

“We got a grant to relieve some of the costs which helped a little, and we are now going to apply for new an improved flood defences.

“Everyday I was worried when more rain was coming that it would spill into the building and damage all the equipment we have here, that would have been devastating.

“There was always one of us here, 24 hours a day, scooping water out and keeping us fortified. People looked at us funny, but its what we had to do.

“Some staff members got shifts at other places, but nowhere near enough, and when they were worried about money it was horrible, but there was nothing we could do as we couldn’t open the business.”

But after overcoming the testing period, Mr Hill says it is now time to look for the future.

He said: “We just want to get people’s confidence back in the place and remind them we are still here and ready for business.

“We have put new carpets in and redecorated, along with launching a new menu to go along with our new opening.

“It’s all hands to the pump now and getting back to doing what we do best.”

However, Brown’s Restaurant, located next to door to The Quay, is set to remain closed for several more months, a spokeswoman confirmed, since it was forced to close on Wednesday, February 8.