A CAFE owner is celebrating reopening her seafront eatery more than a year after it was forced to close by a major beach revamp.

Flags Café, on Hollandon- Sea promenade, has been closed since last winter when work began on the £33 million sea defence scheme.

Owner Lesley Youngs was shocked to be told she would have to shut the shop at the time.

She said: “Last February, we were preparing to open when we were visited by the council and told we would have to close in two weeks.

“We had to try to get rid of £1,500 of stock really quickly and the council ended up compensating us for some.

“It was hard having to close like that, but we knew how important it was.”

The huge beach revamp included creating groynes to safeguard the coast, as well as recharging the beaches with sand, and was completed last year.

Now Flags Café has finally opened its doors again, and owners are hoping for a successful season by the spectacular new beaches.

Lesley said: “We are right by the beach so we saw first-hand how bad they had become.

“There used to be a sheer drop from the edge of the path down onto the beach – now for the first time in five years we have a real beach.

“It looks great down there and it was amazing to be able to open again.

“I didn’t realise how much I had missed it until I was back.”

She added: “On the first day we were mobbed by so many customers and we have noticed a lot more young families coming down now the beach is better.

“There are a few bits which need to be finished, like the steps coming down to the cafe from the top, but credit where it is due, the council has done a brilliant job here.

“The beaches are a real attraction and, hopefully, it will be a big year for everyone in Clacton. We are loving being back and part of it.”