A Shropshire restaurant that endured its worst festive season ever last year with heavy snow and floods causing a £150,000 loss has enjoyed its most successful year ever.

And staff at the Punch Bowl Inn, on the outskirts of Bridgnorth, are planning to bring in the New Year in style, to celebrate the remarkable turn around in their fortunes with huge parties this week.

Twelve months ago, the Punch Bowl Inn faced an uncertain future after terrible weather and burst pipes caused a massive £150,000 loss in cancellations and ruined stock.

But this year, staff have been working 14 hours a day to cope with demand – after almost 6,000 locals booked dinners at the venue.

Punch Bowl Inn owner Adam Giles said the venue planned to celebrate with a party on December 30, featuring a Take That tribute band, as well as a New Year’s Eve bash, featuring a world buffet and ‘Dirty Dancing’.

Mr Giles said: “The parties are our way of thanking our loyal customers. Last year, things couldn’t have been worse. We suffered in the cold snap then our pipes burst.

“This year, it’s been a different story and our staff have been working 14 hours a day to keep up. We’re really looking forward to the New Year. We’ll be offering a free world buffet, with flavours from around the globe, on New Year’s Eve by way as a thank you.”

Mr Giles added: “With the support of suppliers, and of course our customers, we have come back with a real bang, and would like to thank our regulars for their support and kind words of encouragement.”

Shropshire food industry expert James Day, of www.eat-the-midlands.com, said the Punch Bowl Inn’s remarkable story proved what was possible.

He said: “The venue has bounced back in remarkable style from the most testing set of circumstances. We hear a lot of doom and gloom about our local pub trade, but the team at the Punch Bowl Inn work enormously hard.

“It’s great to hear a good news story at this time of year. The Punch Bowl Inn shows what is possible with a little hard work and determination.”

By Andrew Richardson