A WEST Cumbrian martial arts expert whose business was wrecked by Carlisle's Central Plaza Hotel road closure saga fears he is on the brink of bankruptcy.

Father-of-three Shaun Weir, 49, invested thousands in setting up his Fight Club Academy at Bush Brow, Carlisle, teaching martial arts, self-defence and boxing.

But the business's promising start of last April was wrecked after Carlisle City Council declared the area unsafe because of the dangerous condition of the ownerless Central Plaza Hotel on Victoria Viaduct.

The authority prohibited public access to the area for several weeks as work to render the hotel safe was carried out.

Shaun, a former soldier, of Rutland Avenue, Whitehaven, says that Carlisle City Council has a legal obligation to compensate all third party businesses such as his if they have suffered as a result of a road closure in such circumstances.

Without that compensation, he says, he faces financial ruin.

"I set up my business, Fight Club Academy, in Paton House, directly underneath the Bed Shop Carlisle," said Shaun, who last year ran free self-defence classes across Cumbria in the wake of the London Bridge terror attack.

"I started in April, and it was going brilliantly," he said.

"I'm a boxing coach and I am also qualified to teach eskrima, and krav maga [a military self-defence system]..

"We had a fantastic first month.

"A lot of people wanted to learn, and a lot were coming in for trial lessons.

"Then they had the problem with the hotel, and I get that it was an emergency situation."

As the weeks went by, Shaun repeatedly to rescue his business.

Carlisle City Council offered him alternative premises, he said, but they were entirely unsuitable for health and safety reasons.

He says that the legislation used to close off the area - Section 106 of the Buildings Act - stipulates that all third party businesses which are negatively affected should be compensated by the local authority involved. Yet his efforts to have this put into practice have come to nothing, he says.

"Now, my business has gone," he said.

"I've lost everything that I've invested; I'm getting threatening letters from the landlord; and the finance company is going to repossess my car. I'm looking at having to declare myself bankrupt as the only way to save my family. I'm seriously on that path.

"I totally agree that the area needed to be shut down, but they are legally obliged to give me compensation. To add to my stress, they've now sent me a letter threatening to take me to court for not paying my business rates.

"But from to emergency closure to the current date I have lost 37 regular students had to turn away 42 potential new students.

"There has also been the loss of earnings from daily walk in trade and equipment sales."

Shaun said his plans to run knife-education classes in Carlisle to keep young people safe have now also have to be shelved, as he must concentrate on restarting his business in west Cumbria.

A spokeswoman for Carlisle City Council said: "Carlisle City Council is not the owner of the Central Plaza building and has only statutory rather than legal duties in respect of the building. We worked in partnership with Cumbria County Council’s highways team and specialist contractors to ensure the safety of the building. Our priority was to ensure the building was safe and all possible steps were taken to find the quickest way to do this.”