Last updated at 20:38, Thursday, 18 March 2010

THE refurbishment of Cockermouth’s Trout Hotel is on target, with a reopening planned at the end of May.

MAKING PROGRESS: Sue Eccles, managing director of the Trout Hotel in Cockermouth, surveys the refurbishment work to repair the damage following November’s floods

Some rooms and bathrooms which were engulfed by floodwater in November have been re-plastered and the next stage is to get the electrical fittings sorted.

Managing director Sue Eccles said she did not have an exact date for reopening the four-star hotel, which dates back to 1670.

She said: “We have done very well to get to where we are. Although some parts still look like a building site, the fact that rooms have been re-plastered is a major step forward.

“Every day I can see progress.”

Mrs Eccles added that she was taking the opportunity to redecorate the upstairs rooms which escaped the floods as part of a general upgrade for the hotel. She will also make changes behind the scenes to the kitchen, bar area and offices.

She said: “A lot of the changes will be ones that the public will not see.

“All the equipment in the kitchen will be new and top of the range, we will have more office space and a new glass washing area for the bar.

“We are also upgrading all the technology in the hotel with new televisions and Wi-Fi systems.”

The hotel will not be open in time for Cockermouth’s Georgian Fair on May 1 but it is hoped that guided tours can be held around the building with a hog roast in nearby Low Sand Lane.

Mrs Eccles has already had many requests for bookings for the opening weekend and is keeping customers updated on recovery work.

She added: “We have a wedding booked for June and we should be open for that.”

First published at 19:35, Thursday, 18 March 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk