A GASTROPUB in Carlisle's historic quarter hopes to reopen soon after flooding forced it to temporarily shut.

The Old Bank on Fisher Street shut in mid-September after an overnight dishwasher malfunction.

Damage was done to the kitchen, toilets and hallway after staff found eight inches of water in the kitchen.

Matt Rayson, the owner, said that dealing with insurance had been a drawn out process.

He said: "Things are going a bit slow. We’re hoping that next week things will get moving a bit better and we’ll hopefully be able to start work the week after.

"We are aiming to be open very early in November but I’m not comfortable putting a date out just yet."

He said that he was missing being at work.

"I just want to get back to work," he said.

"I’m sick of sitting at home, but you can’t do much about it.

"I think we’ve done enough sitting around for the last two years, I don’t really want any more now.

"It’s been more frustrating than anything else, because it’s completely out of your hands.

"It’s taken this for me to realise just how much I love what I do. Sitting at home is not for me.

"Definitely an early retirement is off the cards because I just couldn’t do it.

"When you work seven days a week and you go down to do nothing it’s torture."

Matt said that they had received messaged of support from the community.

He said: "The amount of calls, messages and emails that we’ve been getting, there’s loads.

"It shows how much people want to come and dine with us."

He added: "From what people are saying, friends, business owners, everyone’s been so supportive and trying to help us out."

While he is unable to give an opening date yet, Matt offered some reassurances for customers.

He said: "People aren’t to worry about Christmas because it’s definitely going ahead.

"Even if it didn’t go ahead, we’d be doing it I the middle of town. I’d just put a tent up.

"We’d be doing it somewhere.

"People aren’t to worry that far ahead because everything should be back up and running before then."