Water leak has hotel worried over festive bookings

A hotel owner has said if a water leak that is being investigated by the council is not fixed before festive bookings begin, the business may not survive.

The Black Swan in Pickering has suspended its food service because of flooding in the cellar, which Phil Hall said began after North Yorkshire Council's highways team finished nearby roadworks in October.

Mr Hall said he had struggled to get a response with "any urgency" from the council and the delay meant the venue was missing out on the "opportunity that Christmas trade brings".

The council said it was carrying out an investigation at the site and was "committed to finding the source of the problem as soon as possible."

Mr Hall said while he welcomed the road resurfacing, the morning after the work was finished he discovered a "spring flowing through our cellar".

The basement is used for storing food and drink, so the leak posed a risk to food hygiene and safety standards and did not create "safe or reasonable" working conditions for staff, he said.

Mr Hall said he believed there was "a direct correlation" between the roadworks and the leak.

"The building is 400 years old, and we've owned it for 11 years and have never seen water coming in that location," he said.

"The volume of water is equivalent to someone turning a tap on fully in our cellar, it's a small river that runs through it, this is not just damp that's coming through the wall."

He contacted the council and Yorkshire Water upon discovering the leak, but said it took 16 days to get the first response from the local authority.

Yorkshire Water confirmed it had visited the site in October to assess whether the leak was from a pipe it owned, but found no evidence to suggest it was.

Seven weeks later, after Mr Hall contacted his MP Kevin Hollinrake to ask for help to hasten a solution, the council have now begun exploratory work at the site to determine the problem.

Richard Marr, North Yorkshire Council's highways area manager, said the council was working with Mr Hall to find the source of the water leak in his property.

"We appreciate the impact it is having on his business," he said.

"Our highways team has carried out investigations and jetted the drains to see if water would be found in the cellar.

"However, this was not the case, so we are now excavating the footpath close to the property.

"Please be assured that we are committed to finding the source of the problem as soon as possible."

Mr Hall said he felt there was "no end in sight" to the leak and he was worried about the loss of revenue at a "critical time of year".

"Everyone is aware of the challenges that hospitality has faced over the recent years," he said.

"We're fighting for survival, we need to have a food offering, particularly in the run up to Christmas, or this business won't be here next year, it's as serious as that."

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