Customers turned away as Harbourside restaurant falls victim to flooding

Strong winds, heavy rain and a king tide was a recipe for disaster for one local restaurant.

Patrons at the popular Harbourside restaurant on The Strand had to be turned away today due to major flooding as water poured inside the building.

Surging water could be seen spurting up through the floorboards along the pathway to the front entrance, and inside part of the restaurant.

Harbourside co-owner Anita Ward said she and her husband Peter had to close their restaurant for the daybecause of flooding inside and around the restaurant entrance.

"The water starting rolling in at about 10am and it just kept pouring in when high tide struck," Ward said.

The couple had owned the restaurant for the last five years and had never seen so much water wash into the building.

"We won't really know the full extent of the damage until the water recedes because our plumbing system is all under the floorboards."

Ward said 50 patrons had been booked in for lunchand another 110 for dinner.

"We're not sure yet whether we will be able to open tomorrow. It's a been a bit gutting to be honest," she said.

"It's an old building, hopefully it's used to it."