Storm Bert: The Walnut Tree pub in Thwaite loses money

The Walnut Tree pub in Thwaite, near Eye, was hit by an outage at around midday on Saturday as downpours and gusts of more than 50mph began to sweep across the county. 

The power cut saw its electricity wiped out, meaning the pub was unable to serve lunch to waiting customers and had to close early.

Jan Wise, landlady at The Walnut Tree pub in Thwaite (Image: Newsquest) "We could not do anything - it was awful," said landlady Jan Wise. 

"I got a text from UK Power Networks to say the power might not be on until 1.30pm and we were fully booked.

"It was our best shift this week."

While the power was eventually restored, Ms Wise had already contacted customers to cancel their bookings. 

The pub closed early on Saturday as a result of the power cut (Image: Newsquest) She estimates the pub could have taken more than £1,500 in trade had there not been a power cut. 

Ms Wise, who bought the pub in 2016, continued: "We closed early on Saturday because there was nothing. It was a bit sad. 

"It was a bit depressing and a bit frustrating when it happened to be the best day for customers.

"It is just another blow."

A tree fell onto a house in Lakenheath during the storm (Image: Brandon Fire Station) Gusts in excess of 50mph hit much of Suffolk across the weekend, tearing down trees across the county. 

Roads were blocked, while power lines were bought down in some areas as a result of the disruption. 

More than 550 homes were left without electricity on Saturday near Stowmarket, while power cuts continued into Sunday and Monday. 

Power supply had to be turned off to around 107 properties in Haughley and surrounding villages near Stowmarket after a "potentially dangerous situation involving tree branches" in contact with overhead cables was found. 

On social media, a spokesperson for UK Power Networks said it was dealing with a "high volume of calls".