'The prom is dead': Relentless rain sees Blackpool traders struggle with 'worst' summer as visitors deter seaside town
05.08.2023 - 12:33
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
‘Relentless’ rain and the cost of living crisis is seeing businesses in Blackpool struggle through the ‘worst’ summer in years.
Traders on the seafront say that an occasional glimmer of sunshine is not enough to appease their concerns about a prolonged washout when business is usually booming.
Even as the usual tens of thousands descend on the Fylde coast town for the annual Air Show next weekend on August 12 and 13, they say it will take something to save them from "the worst summer there's ever been".
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A stallholder, who runs a sweet and donut stall at the entrance of Central Pier, told LancsLive: "My dad has run this stall for 20 years and this is by far the quietest summer we've had.
"The prom is dead. No one is tipping and we've been told by people we know and contacts who run hotels that people just aren't even booking rooms. They are just not coming out."
Lancashire was set to be hit by winds of up to 80mph, sparking a weather warning from the Met Office, but the yellow weather warning instead gave way to heavy showers in coastal areas like Blackpool.
He blames the unseasonal wet weather as one factor, a sentiment shared by countless traders we spoke to along the promenade, from gift shop staff to people working in burger vans.
There is a clear feeling of dejection and disappointment and with the weather forecast of more rain for the coming days, their faith the season will pick up is ebbing away with every raindrop. A lady working at Lick Ice Creams says that footfall has been noticeably down on previous years, while a worker at Prim Burgers says it "gets worse every year".
Pauline Clews, whose family has