THE landlady of a West Somerset pub forced to close its doors has hit out at the council for having an ‘insensitive’ statement already prepared in the event of a landslide.

Cara Strom announced the Blue Anchor Hotel will be closing its doors at the end of September as deep cracks on the site’s ground threaten a landslide.

She has worked over the last few months to try and prevent the sea wall from collapsing, but decided to close as she couldn’t see a ‘long-term’ future for the building.

But a subject access request, a search for personal data, revealed West Somerset Council predicted in 2014 the hotel could be ‘declared unsafe’ in five years, and a four-line press statement was prepared.

Cara said: “I can understand that an organisation may wish to be prepared for such an event with regard to emergency procedures but to have a four-line press statement prepared for something that would be such a devastating and dramatic event is simply odd and shows an insensitivity to all those it affects.

“Surely the local council or councillors should be able to speak from the heart if this happens, rather than rely on a statement that has been prepared months or years in advance.

“People can make their own minds up, but I found it quite distressing that on one hand they are saying they are working with me, but secretly preparing for when the worst happens.”

The 2014 document set out to answer ‘how long will the Blue Anchor Hotel survive’.

The answer stated: “We cannot say for certain, but if no action is taken, it is envisaged that within five years it may have to be declared unsafe.”

Mrs Strom said this prediction was never shared with her.

She said: “I cannot ever recall ever being told this by anyone from WSC.

“Were the councillors aware of this before they decided to cease all work on a scheme to save the building?

“The five-year prediction was almost spot on, but we will not stop trying to find a solution and continue to do anything we can to try and save the building.”

A spokesman for West Somerset District Council said the press statement was a suggested response to enable officers to react quickly in such an event.

He added the council’s ‘longevity’ prediction of the cliff was released to the hoteliers.

He said: “WSC has been working with the hoteliers, the Environment Agency and Somerset County Council to deal with the coastal erosion issue for many years, but with no resources or an affordable solution coming forward it is only right that the Council should be prepared in the event of incidents that could impact the building.

“The statement in the contingency plan is a reflection that a further landslip could happen at any time.

“It was only included as a suggestion to the officer on call who may have little knowledge of the history at this location. A suggested statement would enable the officer to respond to media queries quickly allowing them to focus on giving appropriate support to the hoteliers and the surrounding community. There is no requirement for them or councillors to use it and the creation of a current response is in no way prohibited.

“The five years that was mentioned at an internal employee briefing is at the lower end of the range of the longevity of the cliff. The internal conversation that is quoted was a known fact which was released to the hoteliers.”