A CAFE owner has praised his staff for rallying round after his business was left underwater following the floods.

The Cafe on the Pier was defenceless as the worst storm surge in 60 years swept into Harwich.

Despite being unsure how long the clean-up would take, the cafe was able to open again on Sunday.

Sarah Webb, said: “Thanks to our staff and the many offers of help we received we did start trading again on Sunday having worked around the clock.

“We have suffered the loss of much equipment so will have to wait until we can claim on insurance before we are fully back to normal working order.”