MANY businesses and cafes throughout Cardigan were badly hit by a burst water main on one of the busiest days of the year in town.

With Cardigan fair in full swing and hundreds of visitors flocking to the town, cafes and other traders were forced to close their doors as they did not have water, costing them hundreds of pounds in lost takings.

The castle was also closed.

Matthew Phillips, from Pearl’s Café, had gone in to work at 5.30am and had no water then. His supply finally returned at 4.30pm.

“On any other day this would have been bad enough but on fair day, one of the busiest in the year, it’s a joke. It is so ,so frustrating and there’s nothing we can do about it,” he said.

“On a big day like this it’s no joke and I am sure businesses will be looking at compensation.”

Jane Roche, at the Fisherman’s Rest, said: “We know how busy we were last year and town seemed even busier this year. The car parks were full and yet we couldn’t open and we also had to tell the staff not to come in.”

A spokesman for Dwr Cymru said: “We are aware that some customers in Cardigan have had their water supply affected today and we are very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

“The water supply issue is linked to a burst on a water main in the area. While our team has been working to deal with the burst, we have also been working hard to restore normal supplies by changing the way the water flows through the system.

“This successfully restored supplies to almost all of the affected customers. Our team will remain on site throughout the evening until the repair is completed.

“As supplies return to normal, some customers may experience a slight discolour to the water. This is normal and will pass by running the cold tap for a short period.”