Restaurant hit by bin lorry STILL WAITING FOR REPAIRS
Parking problems didn’t help:
A RESTAURANT has still not been repaired, four months after a council bin lorry ploughed into the back of it.
Yr Wylan had to close for four days after the truck left a hole in the rear of the building in Porthmadog.
The restaurant has since reopened, but despite an inspection being carried out by Gwynedd council and necessary repairs being approved, building work expected to cost thousands has still not begun.
Owners Claire and Justin Roberts, who live above the restaurant with their teenage children, say they’ve been left “in limbo” and fear the work will now hit their peak summer trade.
Mrs Roberts said: “We arranged for a structural engineer to assess the damage ourselves and we’ve been told it’s so bad that the stone will have to be removed and replaced.
“It won’t just be a patch up job and it means that the hole will end up being three times as big while it’s being repaired.
“We’ve got no idea when it’s being repaired or how long it’s going to take. The worry is that they’ve not just damaged our restaurant, it’s caused damage to our flat bathroom too, meaning we won’t be able to use it while the damage is fixed.”
She added: “I don’t think the council realise how big the job is or how it’s going to impact us. Where will we live while the work is being carried out? It’s also coming up to busy season now, we can’t afford to close for weeks while the repairs are carried out.
“It’s affecting our work as well as our home. We’re fed up of being in limbo with no idea of when things are going to happen.”
The couple, who have been running the business for 13 years, believe the crash happened as the bin lorry tried to navigate past illegally parked cars on Smith Street, which runs behind the town’s high street.
They say they have spent six years complaining to the local authority about the cars parking behind their business, and say their calls and e-mails have remained unanswered.
Mrs Roberts added: “The only good thing is that the warning signs and barriers prevent people from parking there at the moment. The whole situation is getting very silly, it just needs to be sorted out.”
A Gwynedd council spokesperson said: “The matter is being dealt with by the council’s insurers.
“Surveyors have carried out an inspection of the building on behalf of the insurers and the necessary repair work has been approved.”