The owners of a village pub that was inundated by flood water from the road outside have said everything they have worked for for five years 'is gone'.

Eastern Daily Press: Christine Hall, who owns the pub with her husband Spencer.Christine Hall, who owns the pub with her husband Spencer. (Image: Archant)

The Huntsman, in Strumpshaw, was one of several locations in the region affected following a heavy downpour in the middle of yesterday afternoon.

Christine Hall, who owns the pub with her husband Spencer, said their business had often been affected by Norwich Road being closed due to flooding, but this was the first time the water had come inside.

She said: 'Everything we have worked for is gone. Five years we have been here, and building up this business from a standing start.

'It's a successful business. We employ local people, and we have got a great community, as you can see by the guys who have stayed to help, but it's just gone.'

She said she had alerted Norfolk County Council in the morning that nearby ditches were already full of water, and would not be able to absorb the rain that was predicted for that afternoon.

When the rain came, the drain covers burst, and water was still bubbling out of them two hours after the road first started flooding.

Mrs Hall said: 'While the road is still open, and at that depth, it just washes in. Our guys in there were sweeping it, trying to keep it away from the front door, but the longer it went on, it was inevitable that it was going to come in.

'Once it started to come in, there was nothing we could do. You can't keep brushing it away.'

Sewage entered the kitchen, and an estimated three inches of water covered the carpet in the main room at the front of the building, and water from the car park got under the raised floor in the restaurant area at the back.

Regulars helped move furniture away from the water, and stock in the kitchen and bar areas was saved.

Mrs Hall said the pub had already done a number of things to help reduce the risk of flooding, including installing a soak away in the car park area, but the pub was always vulnerable when the road flooded, especially from the wash created when cars drove past.

She added: 'It has affected our business badly, because people think the road will be closed, so there's no point going to the Huntsman.'