A popular restaurant near St Neots that was forced to close in September after suffering "significant" flood damage has reopened. 

Lakeside Kitchen at Wyboston Lakes was among a number of businesses to shut their doors in September after torrential rain caused the River Great Ouse to burst its banks. 

It's the third time the restaurant had been forced to close its doors this year as a result of flooding, but owner Richard Bye admitted the team had "been caught short". 

He told The Hunts Post the site had taken a "big hit" with the flooring suffering "serious damage" along with kitchen equipment, including fridges, freezers and cookers.

Flood warnings across Huntingdonshire were in force fore more than a week after days of heavy rain saw the River Great Ouse reach its highest level since December 2020. 

On Sunday, November 16, the venue, which will serve food every Sunday before closing for the season after Christmas, announced it would be reopening its doors after "extensive" repairs. 

Mr Bye said: "It took a full week for the water to drain away and for the building to dry out before we could assess the damge to the floor. 

"The new dance floor had to be replaced and we lost a lot of equipment which we couldn't get up in time. 

"We had to steam clean the kitchen and install new cookers and replace a lot of food stock that was lost during the flooding - so it's been quite an expensive three weeks." 

Mr Bye said it was "refreshing" to be back inside the kitchen after nearly a month away from the site and has already taken a number of booking for Christmas. 

However, he expressed concern that heavy rainfall in the new year could prompt further flooding and result in further damage to the site.

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He added: "We've had some great feedback since reopening and people have been booking in, especially for Christmas. 

"However, unfortunately, there's not much we can do in the event of more flooding as we're situated between two lakes. 

"The only thing we can do before we close down after Christmas Eve is ensure that everything is lifted from the floor so that we don't suffer the same level of damage. 

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