Pictures show resurfaced Miller and Carter amid project to reopen Lakeside restaurant
A HALF-SUNKEN restaurant at Lakeside Shopping Centre has been resurfaced after more than two years out of action.
The Miller and Carter restaurant boat has been closed since it began sinking in December 2023.
Resurfaced - The first stage of the restoration is now underway (Image: Simon Murdoch) Ahead of works to restore and reopen the restaurant, the landmark venue has been brought back to the surface and emptied of its damaged furnishings.
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Residents had been left wondering about the future of the unique Miller and Carter restaurant after resurfacing and restoration work repeatedly stalled.
Sunken - The boat began to slip below the water in December 2023 (Image: Newsquest)Last month, a demolition firm moved onto the site around the boat, and has kick started works to bring the beloved restaurant back into use.
Damage - The water-damaged parts of the boat have now been stripped out (Image: Simon Murdoch) Photos now show the early results of that work, with the boat back on the surface and with the damaged components and furnishings removed.
Speaking after winning the contract to strip the venue of its water damaged parts, firm Mead Demolition said its team was working to prepare the vessel for its pre-opening refit.
Unique - The eye-catching restaurant has been out of action for more than two-years (Image: Simon Murdoch) Residents will likely be welcoming works to return the Miller and Carter restaurant boat to use - last year, Labour's deputy leader of Thurrock Council, Lynn Worrall, branded it "an eyesore".
A spokesman for Miller and Carter said: "We are working with our landlords with a view to reinstating the vessel."
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