Flood-hit cafe re-opens again in Halton

The Red Door Cafe & Bistro in Church Brow re-opened on November 1.

It had previously flooded during Storm Desmond in December 2015, and then again on November 22 2017.

Farrah and Will Norris took over the business in April 2017, and had been open for just six months before heavy rain flooded the building.

Farrah said: “It was going really well, we were having bistro nights and folk nights, but then the weather hit again.

“It was just heavy rain all day. The river was not an issue like in 2015.

“I was at a Little Mix concert in Manchester with my daughter and the cleaner phoned and said the water was coming in. There wasn’t really a lot we could do. It’s been a hard year and we just want to thank our customers for their loyalty.”

New flood gates have been fitted or fixed to try and protect the building against any future flooding, but Farrah said she was no longer able to get insurance. She said the cafe is putting more emphasis on breakfasts and hot food, with bistro nights due to start up again soon.

“People have been really supportive and most of the staff waited for us to re-open to get their jobs back,” she added.

The cafe is open 9am until 4pm Thursday to Sunday.