UNCERTAINTY over flooding is threatening to leave one of Upton's favourite venues high and dry.

After a flood-ravaged year, the team behind the Swan Hotel have decided to cut their losses and walk away.

Brian Hulme, Nick Mossop and Steve Ballard had high hopes for the Swan when they gave it a massive refurbishment ahead of a grand reopening ceremony in April.

But it was only three-and-a-half months before all their hard work was undone by the summer floods, when Upton's portable flood defence barriers were stuck on the motorway leaving residents and traders to pay a heavy price.

Mr Hulme feels the risk of a repeat is too big a gamble to take.

He said: "We put an awful lot of effort into reopening in the first place, because it was in quite a sad state when we first took over.

"It's been a long process and we are still not open and we will always be facing the prospect of it happening again.

"We just cannot rely on someone putting barriers up when they might go up and might not."

Until recently, Mr Hulme had planned to come back to the Swan and lengthy repairs are now nearing completion. But when water again invaded the property during the recent floods he was forced to reconsider. "The barriers were slow going up again this time and, with it being the third time in nine months, that is when the uncertainty came into our minds," he said.

"The main reason we went for the Swan was because we were assured the defences would always be there when needed."

Mr Hulme will see repairs at the Swan through to completion and expects it to be ready to reopen in March.