A number of seaside businesses are struggling as the current wet weather has hit the number of visitors in towns, with many hoping the conditions will soon change
Traders in British seaside towns reliant on summer trade are praying the weather turns in the coming weeks as they face empty beaches of tourists.
Several small businesses around the country are utterly reliant on trading on busy summers. However, so far this year has been a washout for most of the country with conditions bouncing between hardly-seen sunshine or mostly rainfall and drizzly conditions.
If the weather does not improve soon, many businesses may have to consider their options with Brits staying away or opting to travel abroad to sunny climbs.
Catherine El Murr, from family restaurant El Murrino in Bournemouth, said she was forced to close their pop-up at the beach on Thursday because of the rain. She said: “Last year it was really good, absolutely packed, but this year has started off quite badly, we’re probably about 50 per cent down on last year. We’re just really hoping it gets better in July and August.
“’Our beach pop-up venue is completely weather dependent, we always live our life by looking at the weather forecast and have to play it by ear. “We have quite a few bookings for this weekend but weather-wise Saturday is looking like a complete washout.
“It has a massive impact. Our main business is in the town centre but we need to make the pop up financially viable in its own right and when you wipe out a whole month, it has a huge impact,” she told told MailOnline.
The conditions are not set to improve quickly, with violent downpours and thunderstorms set to batter the UK on Saturday. The Met Office said it will be unsettled for most with showers or long spells of rain, some heavy and thundery throughout Saturday.
Alex Deakin, meteorologist with the Met Office, said in a YouTube video the Southeast of England, including Greater London, will be worst affected by the storms. He said: “The main theme for this weekend is low pressure and showers, plenty of heavy showers as this low pressure is moving in and it’s staying for the weekend, just kind of milling around sitting right over us,” Mr Deakin says in the clip.
“It’s across the Southeast of England in particular where we’re most likely to see some thunderstorms, some hail is possible as well, closer to the centre of the low, so in southern Scotland and Northern England. That’s where the winds are lightest and that’s where the showers will be quite slow moving so some places could have a very wet day.”
