A FLOOD-HIT cafe in Saltaire has re-opened to customers for the first time in almost 18 months.

The Half Moon Cafe, at Roberts Park, leased from Bradford Council by Saltaire Cricket Club, has began trading again after it fell victim to the Boxing Day floods of 2015.

The cafe was one of 840 homes and 170 businesses affected by flooding from the rivers Aire and Wharfe.

It was originally hoped the cafe would have re-opened in late summer last year due to delivery of kitchen equipment but it was hit by further delays. It opened its doors to the public over the Easter weekend and is expected to be open every Wednesday to Sunday.

It could also become a key venue for people who visit events held in the village in upcoming months, including the World Heritage Weekend, on April 22 and 23, and Bradford Dragonboat Festival, held at the park between May 5 and 7.

Councillor Martin Love (Green, Shipley) welcomed the cafe’s re-opening, adding it was an important facility in the village.

He said: “I am very pleased that it has re-opened.

“A lot of repairs had to be done to the cafe after the floods.

“I am not sure why it has taken so long for it to re-open.

“It is a very important facility for Saltaire and Roberts Park. There are a number of events planned in Saltaire throughout the summer, so it will be used a lot.”

Becky Hutchinson, treasurer of Saltaire Cricket Club, said: “It has been a long time coming, but we are really pleased it is open.

“There has been a lot of hard work by a lot of people to do this.”

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “Following extensive damage and waterlogging caused by the Boxing Day floods of 2015, we are delighted that the Half-Moon Café in Roberts Park, Saltaire, has been repaired and is now open to the public”

The cafe’s opening was also backed by the Friends of Roberts Park group and residents on its Facebook page.

Julie Willetts posted: “Have really missed the Half Moon Cafe, so pleased it is open again.”

Christopher Bush said: “Roberts Park is finally complete again!”

The Boathouse Inn, which is on the opposite side of Roberts Park, was also wrecked by the floods but re-opened in July last year.

Meanwhile, nearby Salts Tennis Club, Crown Green Bowls Club and Sports Association Bar were fully restored within four months of the floods.

The bowls club used a Sport England grant of £1,750 to help pay for a new wooden perimeter fence for the green, tennis courts and fences have been repaired and the bar re-opened at Easter.