Swansea Waterstones forced to close after heavy rainfall as water pours through ceiling

A Waterstones store in Swansea has been forced to close after suffering water damage due to severe rainfall yesterday on 16th August. 

The Swansea branch’s staff shared a video of rain pouring through the ceiling, empty shelves and dozens of wet books on the floor, clocking up more than 31,500 views.

In a Twitter post, they said: “With sincere apologies, we are now closed. For reasons. A lovely moment amongst the carnage – loads of customers rushing over to help us save the books (which we had to refuse for safety reasons, but thank you!) Normal service will (hopefully) be resumed soon." 

Later that evening the branch thanked people for their “lovely messages” and said they hoped to reopen their doors on 17th August. 

A spokesperson for Waterstones said: “The clean-up is underway, and roofers are on site to swiftly repair any damage. We hope to be able to open our doors to customers again very soon.” 

The Swansea branch is based in an art nouveau Grade II-listed ex-cinema, and includes a coffee shop. It has been victim to water damage on several occasions. A burst pipe was reported in the ceiling last September, causing a large leak near the travel section. In 2019 it was hit by heavy rain, ruining a “significant” amount of books.