Popular Fife visitor attraction, St Andrews Aquarium has revealed the devastating extent of the damage caused by recent storms, as the family-owned aquarium announces a prolonged closure whilst the damages are rectified.

St Andrews Aquarium, which has been independently owned by the Mace family for over twenty years, regarded as one of the best aquariums in the UK, will now close it’s doors for a “number of months” whilst owners start the lengthy and expensive process of fixing the damage caused by massive sea swells and high winds on Sunday night, into Monday morning.

Whilst a full assessment of the damage is still currently underway, initial reports confirm substantial damage to the outdoor seal pool, which had to be evacuated in the middle of the night, where huge sea swells ripped apart the steel fencing around the enclosure and washed away the viewing deck.

All animals are safe and being cared for, with the aquarium’s resident seals removed from the outdoor pool and brought inside the aquarium with very little time to spare. Speaking of the devastation, owner and managing director John Mace commented; “We are just devastated by the damage caused, our team were on site through the night and luckily managed to move our seals before the enclosure fencing was destroyed, but it could have been a lot worse. To stand by and look on at the family business you’ve built over many years be destroyed in a few hours in very difficult to take. We’ve got a very long road ahead of us and will work to repair the damage as quickly as possible, but we are looking at a prolonged period of closure.”

Discussing the significant cost of repairing the damage, John Mace continued; “The full extent of the damage is not yet known, as some areas are only now becoming safe to assess. What is evident is that the impact is substantial including damages to our specialist water pumps, as well as structural damage to the pool and viewing areas. With such devastating damage to the seal enclosure, our family of seals will need to be temporarily rehomed, and our team are busy trying to make arrangements now.”

St Andrews Aquarium, Scotland’s only family-owned aquarium, will be closed from today until further notice, with updates due to be posted on their social media pages over the coming weeks.