Storm Darragh: Cambridgeshire businesses miss out on 'really important' weekend

  • ITV News Anglia's Katie Ridley speaks to the businesses who say Storm Darragh damaged their Christmas trade.

Businesses hoping to capitalise on Christmas shopping suffered as Storm Darragh impacted a crucial weekend of trade.

The second named storm in a month brought wind gusts of up to 60mph in parts of the East of England, leading to Christmas markets and events being cancelled or postponed.

Local businesses in Cambridgeshire say they have been left counting the cost of missing out on one of the year's busiest weekends of trade.

Northstowe Tap and Social planned to be be at a Christmas event but had to cancel.

Bosses there said they'd lost out on thousands of pounds.

Steven Brewer, the owner said: "It just wasn't safe for us to be there. It wasn't safe for our staff and our equipment because we had a gazebo outside.

"It's not just the capital outlay for the equipment, but it's also we had to buy all of the stock for the two events that we then haven't used, so we are overstocked.”

Northstowe Bar and Social was not able to sell thousands of pounds worth of beer because of Storm Darragh. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Among the cancelled, postponed or impacted events in the East were:

  • Christmas in Cambridge.

  • Kettering's festive markets.

  • Bedford Christmas Market.

  • Wisbech Christmas Fayre.

  • Burghley Santa Run.

  • Peterborough's Ferry Meadows Winter Festival.

Those in the outdoor event industry say it has been an "unusual" year for the impact of weather on events and they can only see it getting worse in the future.

Joe Harrison, National Market Traders Federation, said: "Christmas time is a really, really important time for these traders.

"They get their living for the what we call the kippers season, the January, February, March.

"In this run-up to Christmas, yes it is really busy, but it wasn’t very busy last weekend, and that is the problem.

"They will never get this weekend back."

Cambridge's Christmas event on Parker's Piece had to take a break for the weekend because of Storm Darragh. Credit: ITV News Anglia

The popular Mill Road Winter Fair in Cambridge was cancelled, with organisers saying it was a "big disappointment" for all involved. Thousands of people usually attend the annual event.

Meanwhile the Christmas in Cambridge event on Parker's Piece, which has been on since 14 November, shut for the weekend.

Daniel Lynch, Christmas in Cambridge, said: “It's never an easy decision to have to make, especially with so many traders here as well as our staff.

"But safety has to be a number one priority. So it was a hard decision to make, but it was the right one.

"Thankfully the people of Cambridge have been so understanding about that as well.”

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