Monday, February 3, 2014

Coastal communities in Devon and Cornwall flooded

Salcombe
High tide overwhelmed the waterfront at Salcombe, south Devon

Coastal towns in south-west England have been left flooded after being hit by strong winds, large waves and a high tide.
The Environment Agency earlier warned of extreme danger on the Cornish coast and issued a severe flood warning.
In Sussex, a 67-year-old woman has died after she was carried out to sea by strong currents on Saturday.
On the Somerset Levels, police say flood-hit villages are being targeted by thieves.
About 600 gallons of domestic heating oil was reported stolen from a farm in the Somerset village of Moorland and two fire service quad bikes were taken from nearby Burrowbridge.
Places flooded in Cornwall include Looe, Fowey, Newlyn, Porthleven and Mevagissey. Devonport in Plymouth and Kingsbridge, Devon, are also flooded.
In Gloucestershire, two severe flood warnings remain in place with the Environment Agency advising people to "be vigilant" as more rain is forecast.
'Incredibly rough'
In Cornwall, Geoff Penhaligon, harbourmaster in Looe, said: "There is lots of water in the main street and behind the market it is too deep for a car.
"Water is just pouring from the sea into the main street."
Dale Clark, harbourmaster on the Isles of Scilly, said there had been flooding of some properties.
BBC reporter Johnny O'Shea said the sea off Penzance was "incredibly rough, crashing along the sea wall".
Plymouth waterfront
Tinside Lido on Plymouth Hoe has been almost submerged by the sea
Newquay sea wall
The sea wall in Newquay has been damaged by the high tide and large waves
Waves crashing over Teignmouth seafront
Waves have been crashing over Teignmouth seafront in Devon
Geoff Brown, Cornwall Council's portfolio holder for homes and communities, said: "There's been flooding in Mevagissey, the main road in Fowey and the seafront is closed in Penzance because of the concern of debris being thrown by waves on to the road.
"High water has now passed, so we're hoping the water will recede shortly.
"Clearly there's a severe amount of coastal damage and we need a clear weather window to start repairs."
Paul Thomas, harbourmaster in Fowey, said he was "splashing around" in flood water in his office.
"I think the properties that regularly flood in Fowey would have had it worse this time.
"There's only so much you can do - sandbags, storm guards and just lift your valuables off the ground - that's just the nature of living on the coast," he said.
Flooding in Looe
Only the pilings show where East Looe Quay ends and the river begins
Looe
The main street in Looe has been flooded
Flooding in Kingsbridge
Roads have also been flooded in Kingsbridge in Devon
In Seaton, Nicki Barry, who owns the beach cafe which was flooded twice in January, said her business has been protected by a new sandbank.
Ms Barry said a Cornwall Council digger had created the bank to protect the road and it had also helped protect the cafe.
In Devon, flooding has been reported in Kingsbridge, Salcombe and Exmouth.
Earlier, only one Torpoint Ferry - which connects Devon and Cornwall - was in service because of severe flooding at Devonport, Plymouth.
First Great Western tweeted that trains were suspended between Penzance and St Erth due to flooding and between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot because of "poor weather".
Surfers have been making the most of tidal surges through the centre of Bude in Cornwall
On Saturday, six fishermen were rescued after their boat foundered in "treacherous" conditions off the north Cornish coast.
An RNAS Culdrose helicopter winched five of the crew from the sea, while the sixth was rescued by lifeboat.
A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "We will take a decision about potentially salvaging the vessel when the weather conditions improve.
"We estimate that around 30% of the vessel has already broken up due to the bad weather."

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