Water up to the ceiling in cellar of Red Lion pub

The cellar of the pub in Wharton Road has been completely submerged.

The pub itself is unscathed but everything underground has been lost.

Alice Johnson, a director of Weaver Valley Co-operative which runs the pub, said: "Very worrying seeing the volume of water bursting the banks of our lovely River Weaver.

"The cellar is completely saturated with barely any room for any more water."

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The cellar of The Red Lion was completely flooded after river levels rose to record levels

The cellar of The Red Lion was completely flooded after river levels rose to record levels

Trustee Damon Horrill said: "The height of the river is scary. The cellar is almost up to the ceiling. All our stock, equipment, fridges, freezers are all floating.

"I've never seen anything like it in 13 years.

"We haven't got any help from an insurance point of view because each time these floods happen the risk is so high, the insurance premium is beyond our reach."

The pub was flooded in October 2019 but staff it did not cause as much damage.

Chefs and volunteers from the What's For Tea service who prepare, cook and deliver meals to residents in Winsford and Middlewich had been operating from the Red Lion kitchen.

The team has now moved to The Gate and will continue to provide meals for the local community.

Alice said she had been overwhelmed with support from people living nearby.

She said: "Thank you to all the locals and staff who offered to help, this means a lot considering the situation we're all in. If there's anything we can do to help support the local community please drop us a message.

"There's not a lot we can do other than wait for the water level to go down."

What's For Tea has been feeding isolating residents and people with foodbank referrals during lockdown, with ready-to-cook meals and grocery boxes delivered to homes across Winsford and Middlewich.

For £25 a week, self-isolating residents – including those who are elderly or particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus – can get a two-course daily meal and a grocery box including bread, milk, fruit, soap and toilet rolls.