Flash floods have swept through the Cornish coastal town of Coverack in the south west of England creating havoc for residents. Homes were evacuated and people have been told to avoid the area.
Huge storms have battered the south coast of Britain dumping a months worth of rain in just hours. One of the worst hit areas was Cornwall.
There, the Coastguard helicopter was out in force airlifting residents to safety from their homes after floodwaters swept through the village of Coverack.
A major incident has been declared in #Cornwall after flash flooding hit the coastal village of #Coverack. pic.twitter.com/IFK1ScT3cr
— SP Services UK Ltd (@SPServicesUK) July 18, 2017
Residents said their village had been devastated, while roads were destroyed and cars abandoned. Thomas Duffie, a local bus driver spoke of the massive torrents of water that hit the back of the bus he was driving.
“All of a sudden it was like a water rapids just coming right from behind the bus. A load of boulders coming down, some even the size of the wheels of the bus, coming down.”
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service says its crews responded to “multiple flooding-related incidents” in Coverack and even used twitter to warn people not to go out in their cars.
Major flooding in #Coverack area please avoid this area & do not attempt to drive through any flood water.
— Cornwall Fire&Rescue (@CornwallFRS) July 18, 2017
Councils in some of the worst hit areas have pledged that money ‘won’t be a problem’ for the extensive repairs.
But while the massive clean up operations continue, the met office says more bad weather is on its way.
Exceptional #rescue by firecrews and #coastguard of elderly couple trapped in #Coverack flash floods pic.twitter.com/31uFVFfaQx
— Mullion Fire Station (@MullionCFRS) 18 juillet 2017