Staff at the Gurkha Restaurant in Weymouth evacuated diners as the water started to rise.

Managing director Dhan Gurung, right, said: “The water came so quickly, we all evacuated very quickly.”

The water reached about one metre up the walls of the restaurant and it now has no power or telephones.

Mr Gurung said they would have to replace all the tables and chairs as they had been contaminated by the water.

He said they were talking to the insurers and were hoping to open again in time for the summer season.