THE most flooded business in Bidford is set to re-open following the dramatic events of late July.

The Bridge Restaurant on High Street sits next to the Roman Bridge, the epicentre of the worst flooding in the village in living memory, but is planning to be back open for business on Tuesday, October 3.

Despite taking steps to protect the building, the River Avon burst its banks on the evening of Friday, July 20 leaving the Bridge and many homes and business on the street flooded with up to four feet of water.

Co-owner Patrick Marshall said: "The water had risen so rapidly that we made a decision to close on the Friday night and moved as much furniture out of the way as we could.

"Next morning we couldn't even get down the High Street. It was devastating to see the damage."

The damage was extensive and, because the restaurant was the closest building to the river in the village, it took about four days for it to recede.

"It was very difficult to see it all go so quickly.

"It was a mammoth job to remove the floor and kitchen equipment, especially as a lot of the stock had been there all weekend and gone off," said Mr Marshall.

The building had to be completely stripped back, all plaster removed up to waist height, the floor removed, the entire kitchen removed and the shell of the building left to dry for almost a month before re-building began at the end of August.

After 10 weeks of intense work and a new design scheme, the Bridge is re-opening and keen to win its customers back.

"We've missed the summer which is a very important time for us but we're just looking forward to getting back to normal," added Mr Marshall.