Cornwall floods: Clear-up follows flood 'devastation'

[jayden™]

 Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said its crews attended "multiple flooding-related incidents" and urged people to avoid the area. Stan Harris had been laying slate in the village when the rain began to fall. "We started to hear the rumble and then suddenly I was hit with marbles, hitting me in the face. I couldn't get out. I was just stuck in a shed," he said. Part of a car park washed awayImage copyrightPA Debris left across the villageImage copyrightPA He said he thought his was the last vehicle to make it out of the village. "By the time we got up past the lady we were working for, she said we were probably one of the last ones to get through because then another van floated through. "By the time we got home it was chaos. Absolute chaos." 'Devastating' flood Assistant Chief Fire officer Phil Martin said there was now a "pile of rubble" about "3ft or 4ft high, that goes across about 20ft". "You can see rubble on the beach and debris that's been washed down by the water," he added. He described the flash flood as "devastating", adding "when I was listening to this incident unfold on the radio I had a real fear that this was going to have a tragic outcome ". Debris left across the villageImage copyrightPA So far, the main focus has been Coverack's pretty harbour, which is littered with debris of every kind. I've seen boulders, fence panels, a shed, a mobility scooter and even a kitchen sink, which have all been washed down from the hills above in the torrents of water. The mud and silt are unpleasant - but that damage is mainly cosmetic. The more worrying aspect of all this for local people is the main road into the village. A route which normally brings in thousands of tourists every day during the summer months is a total mess. The Tarmac has been ripped up. There are holes several feet deep, exposing pipes and cables. Repairing this road looks like a major engineering task. "But we're Cornish," said one local lady. "We'll cope". Main road into CoverackImage copyrightADAM PAYNTER Image caption The flood water has completely destroyed the main road into the village A school bus driver caught up in the Coverack flood said he was determined to make sure his sole passenger got home safely after they became stranded on the road into the village. "The boulders from people's gardens were pummelling the bus," said Thomas Duffield, 33. "They were about the size of a wheel and kept whacking the vehicle, making loud bangs, which was obviously quite worrying." He kept his foot on the brake pedal even though he had the handbrake on while