Sean devastated as Torquay beach bar business is washed away in storm

Torquay seafront business SOAK coffee bar was literally washed away by the storms last night.

Devastated owner Sean White could only watch as one giant container ended up in the waves and the other - both encasing the popular Torre Abbey Sands bar - was 'bashed like a washing machine'.

Sean, who has put the Bay on the map for stand-up paddle boarding and other sea sports, said: "We have completely lost our business. We have lost everthing. That is totally devastating."

But he added: "The community has been amazing. Without all the compassion and love this moment would have been even more brutal."

He thanked those who has answered his SOS call late last night to recover one of the two containers before it,too, was lifted into the waves. It was transported to a safe compound for the damage to be assessed.

"The information that we had and all the weather charts did not account for the extra one metre storm surge. We thought we were going to be okay," said Sean.

Friends immedialtelty set up a Gofundme page to help the business get back on its feet.

The appeal said: "Sadly during the intense sea storm last night one of the containers was washed into the sea, the other narrowly rescued with significant damage. Watching their business and livelihood wash away infront of them was heartbreaking.

"This Go Fund Me is to support Sean and Laura with their business rebuild, get them back on their feet and perhaps most importantly for them to feel the love and support from that a community is behind them all the way.

So please, if you have ever enjoyed a SUP experience, if SOAK is part of your morning routine, if you took part in the paddle parade, if you’ve attended a beach party at Torre Abbey, if you’ve cuddled Honey one too many times or even if you just feel compelled to, please donate what you can. Let’s all help to get SOAK back on its feet and thriving again!"

The link is here https://www.gofundme.com/f/get-soak-back-on-their-sups?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram_story

And one last word from Sean: "We will bounce back."

Storm Babet caused problems throughout the Bay.

A spokesperson for Torbay Council said: “We have been working closely with our Harbours team and SWISCo and other partners such as HM Coastguard to respond to any issues caused by Storm Babet. This has so far included:

* Staff from SWISCo needed to close seafront roads at both Meadfoot Road and Torbay Road, Torquay overnight– these were reopened again by around 1pm today. The wind direction is expected to change this evening so we are not expecting to have to close the road again but please be advised that high tide is expected during the morning rush hour over the next few mornings so there is always the potential for the seafront road to be closed again.

*Harbours team have been supporting the owners of Soak Beach Bar in Torquay – unfortunately the two containers owned by Soak washed away in the storms overnight, the containers have been retrieved from the sea and most of the debris from the containers has been collected. A crane was due to be moving the containers at 3pm today.

*Beach huts – Our Beach team (Harbours) have been working hard to collect beach huts for storage over the past few weeks, however due to previous bad weather conditions we have not been able to move them all yet and unfortunately we are aware that there has been damage to several beach huts. We move the huts to storage at the same time every year. We started on October 2 and it generally takes four weeks to move them all. We have had to close access to Roundham promenade due to the number of huts in a precarious state.  As soon as it is safe for a full assessment we will update you further and contact customers individually."

They added: "We will continue to respond to issues as and when they come in but in the meantime we would urge everyone to stay safe, check on any elderly or vulnerable friends, family or neighbours, avoid driving if you possibly can, and also to report any issues such to us either by calling 01803 701310 or via our website.”

Reporting issues during the day
Call Customer Services on 01803 701310 between 8am and 5pm or you can also report issues online at the following links:

https://www.torbay.gov.uk/council/get-in-touch/contact/

https://www.swisco.co.uk/report-it/

https://torbay.gov.uk/flooding

Reporting issues out of hours
After 5pm you can still call 01803 701310 for emergencies.

Flooding – you can report flooding incidents and find more advice by calling 01803 701310 or via our website

https://torbay.gov.uk/flooding

https://www.torbay.gov.uk/emergencies/extreme-weather/flooding/after-a-flood/

Roads - The best way to report any problems on Torbay’s roads such as fallen trees, traffic lights down, flooding, manhole covers open and problems on beaches is to call SWISCo on 01803 701310.

Travel – Due to the storms you are advised to check with travel operators before starting your journey:

Stagecoach service updates 

GWR travel updates 

Rough sleepers - Members of the public can report concerns for people sleeping rough and their location via Streetlink.  

Weather advice - Keep up to date with the latest weather advice via the Met Office – www.metoffice.gov.uk