TOWN centre businesses have been left furious after being held up in their efforts to repair a flood-damaged river wall.

Nine businesses along Church Street West, Radcliffe, lost all or part of their walls in the Boxing Day flood, but claim that they have been left unable to enact a repair scheme as NatWest Bank have not responded to requests to participate in a reconstruction survey costing a little over £400.

The bank has a mortgage on the former Chip Inn, which has fallen into disrepair having been unoccupied in more than ten years, after its owner was declared bankrupt last year.

Since February, the other owners have been co-ordinating a repair scheme with their insurers and a specialist project management company but have been unable to involve the bank.

Ian Hayes, who owns the building next door, said: “Bury Council’s Building Control have been on top of their game with this and Cllr Dr Catherine Preston has involved herself from the start, but without NatWest taking the initial steps to join the repair programme, which would after all protect their own security interest at the site, it’s a non-starter for everyone else.

"No business in this post code can now obtain flood cover so we are all at the mercy of the weather, and to great extent, NatWest.

"It is making a laughing stock of their assertion to be a community-focused bank when they won’t even engage."

At the back of the building, loss of the wall has caused the partial collapse of the outside yard, which is shared with The Coffee Shop, leaving the rear extension of the Chip Inn in danger of falling into the river.

Mr Hayes added: "Local agencies have intervened to good effect in recent years to improve the River Irwell generally and water quality in particular.

"If the extension were to collapse into the river it would be an obstruction to the water course and very unsightly upstream view from the Irwell Bridge.

"Presently it appears NatWest are content to let that happen notwithstanding the implications for the river ecology and how it would escalate costs and damage the value of their security."

Cllr Preston added: "Ian and others have worked so hard to try and bring this together. I think people ought to know what's going on.

"There are all these people across Radcliffe trying to bring things back and fix things, and they are coming up against brick walls - literally in this case."

NatWest did not respond to requests for a comment.