THE owners of one of York’s top restaurants still cannot say when it will reopen, more than three years after it was devastated by flooding.

They say complex structural repairs to the Blue Bicycle in Walmgate have finally been completed but restoration and refurbishment works still need to be finished inside the building.

Lower floors of the riverside building were inundated just after Christmas 2015 when the River Foss burst its banks following prolonged and heavy rainfall in the catchment.

The Foss Barrier and Pumping Station was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water coming down the river, and environment chiefs had to lift the barrier, intended to prevent floodwater from the Ouse backing up the Foss.

The pumping station has since undergone a £19 million upgrade and the barrier is set to be upgraded later this year, helping to prevent such a flood happening again in future.

While other flooded businesses in streets such as Walmgate and Fossgate re-opened in the months after the 2015 flooding following repairs and refurbishment work, little work was carried out at the restaurant until last year, when scaffolding was installed in the River Foss to allow for some major structural repairs to take place.

The owners have now posted an update on the restaurant’s website, saying that, regrettably, they were still unable to re-open for business until the restoration and refurbishment works had been completed.

“Work is continuing to progress steadily, but as yet we do not have a more specific date for reopening,” they said.

“Whilst our ongoing efforts may not be evident from the outside of the building, rest assured we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to repair the damage and reinstate our properties as soon as possible.”

They said the work had taken longer to complete than any of them had envisaged, due to both the extent of the damage and the number of properties affected.

They added: “Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience our continued closure may cause.

“We very much look forward to welcoming guests back as soon as possible.”