THE Blue Anchor Hotel has suffered a major land slip this week which means time could be called for the popular and well-known premises.

Hotel owner Cara Strom said she initially spotted a hairline fracture in the ground outside the hotel last week, and then overnight on Thursday it opened up into the largely visible cracks shown.

“It is very worrying for me, my family and the community, “Ms Strom said.

“We have closed the hotel for bookings as the health and safety of guests is paramount.

Somerset County Gazette:

“It is extremely frustrating because we were fully booked this weekend. The bar will remain open as I can safely evacuate those guests and monitor the tide but I cannot do that overnight.”

Although the building is not in immediate danger owner and operator Ms Strom is now worried about how long she has not only for her business, livelihood and her team’s jobs, but also her family home.

Ms Strom said: “Unfortunately time may simply be against us. Although still stable, once the pub does fall into the sea, the road will be next.

“To me it seems a false economy not to prevent any further erosion now - the ‘do nothing option’ is simply not an option.”

Somerset County Gazette:

Over a number of years West Somerset Council (WSC) had put in resources to bid for funding towards a coastal scheme.

A WSC spokesman said: “As the Coastal Protection Authority West Somerset Council had put in resources to bid for funding of a coastal protection scheme in Blue Anchor. The aim of the scheme was to provide protection firstly to The Blue Anchor Hotel and subsequently to the highway and other properties.

“The bid to the Environment Agency failed in early 2014 with a number of issues being identified that were unmanageable for us. These issues largely related to level of evidence required for a scheme to be approved.

Somerset County Gazette:

“Despite our best efforts, and with a lack of financial or technical resources from WSC, the hoteliers, or other stakeholders, a tested design could not be presented as part of the engineering scheme. The decision to cease any further works on a replacement bid was made in December 2014 following a report to Full Council.

“WSC remain supportive and empathetic to the needs of the hoteliers and the wider community but are unable to progress any further bids without greater support from those stakeholders.”