Blyth is still “open for business”, county bosses have insisted, as traders try to get back on their feet following Storm Arwen.
Thousands of households across Northumberland and the rest of the North East were left without power last month after severe weather battered the region.
Keel Row Shopping Centre was among the facilities in the town forced to close as a result of the damage, but traders are now keen to make the most of the Christmas period, despite rising concerns about coronavirus infections.
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"This disruption has come at the worst time and the owners of the affected buildings are working as quickly as they can to rectify the damage,” said Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, following a visit to the town.
"The council is providing support and I would like to remind people that there are many great shops, cafes and restaurants in Blyth town centre that are very much open for business.
"We have £20.9m of Town Deal investment lined up for Blyth but the next few weeks are critical for businesses that have already suffered difficult trading conditions due to Covid-19."
Following Storm Arwen, it took engineers from Northern Powergrid almost two weeks to restore power supplies to all affected homes in the region, with many still managing on temporary generators.
Following the severe weather, businesses have faced a second blow to their festive trading as rising Covid-19 cases prompted England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, to urge the public to “cut down on work or other interactions with people”.
Blyth has been promised large amounts of public cash in recent years in an attempt to spruce up the town centre.
Earlier this year it was confirmed it would receive £20.9m of a £25m bid to the Government’s Towns Fund.
It had already been allocated £11.2m from the Future High Streets Fund, helping form part of a £70m “Energising Blyth” programme.
Earlier this month, the county council’s ruling cabinet approved the start of work on designs for a new Culture Centre in the town’s marketplace, as well as work on the Battleship Wharf and Energy Central Campus jobs sites.
