The landlady of a pub in Potters Crouch has criticised the council for not informing local businesses of road closures following the ongoing fire in Appspond Lane.

The Holly Bush was forced to close its doors after its power was switched off for saftey measures following a large fire at a recycling centre in the early hours of last Sunday morning (November 11).

As a result of smoke from the woodchip ablaze, the A414 and the A4147 remained closed until Wednesday, November 14, and the pub was closed until last Monday afternoon (November 12).

Vanessa Williams, landlady of the award-winning pub, said Hertfordshire County Council did not inform her road closures would be taking place, which meant she lost a lot of money during the week.

She said: "You can see the fire roaring from our back garden. It is quite unbelievable.

"We have lost a lot of trade and money which is unfortunate.

"We were forced to close on Monday because of lack of power and there was also a short supply of water, due to the fire crews' need for water.

"The road closures have affected us because of our location and it is the council’s fault.

"The council did not inform us that the road closures would be taking place and we had no time to let our regulars know.

"We were forced to put a sign up at the end of the hill to ensure our customers knew we were still open for trade.

"Thankfully we are now open for trade and reasonably back to normal."

Firecrews are still tackling the fire at the recycling centre. David Henning from Hertfordshire County Council said: "Although we made no direct contact with local businesses and residents, other channels were used to inform people of the road closures.

"We informed local media outlets and national news bulletins were also another outlet to inform people."