Concern as two storms batter village within one week

Residents in a seaside village, still dealing with the "devastation" caused by a storm, are bracing for another to hit.

Homes and businesses in Devon's Torcross, in the South Hams, were battered by downpours over the weekend, but people now face a second storm.

Councillor Julian Brazil, leader of Devon County Council, said: "It's a worrying time with the frequency of the storms so we'll be going to government, we will be asking them for support, our communities need it."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said having inherited flood defences in the worst condition on record, it had reprioritised more than £100m into urgent maintenance works across the UK.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for the village from 17:00 GMT on Monday until 09:00 on Tuesday as Storm Chandra hits.

The forecaster warned periods of heavy rain would bring more disruption, including flooding.

"We need to have that kind of resilience, otherwise we feel a bit let down," Brazil added.

He said residents had been clearing up and trying to get "back to normal" after the first storm.

"It's a big thing when these storms suddenly come in and wreck your lives. It's worrying times and we've got to do everything we can to help them," he said.

A Defra spokesperson said: "We're committed to supporting coastal communities, including in the South West, through our record investment of £10.5bn in protecting against flooding and coastal erosion by 2036, benefitting nearly 900,000 properties."

Emma Wilson, a resident in the village, said Storm Ingrid caused devastation all the way through the village.

She said: "It's so sad to see everyone's houses be demolished.

"It's dreadful and very upsetting."

Wilson said if the road fully closed due to the damage, it would be "horrendous", adding emergency services would never get through.

The Environment Agency's coastal advisor for Devon, Martin Davies, said government funding was for larger areas where there was "more property and infrastructure".

Davies said: "We do recognise the communities in our part of the world are particularly vulnerable because the problems are large, but the available funding isn't.

"That's something we recognise, we need to communicate but we do need to work with communities to do what we can to manage the risk where possible so making sure communities respond to looking after themselves when we issue flood warnings.

"There's a role for everybody, government, operating authorities and communities, to manage this risk going forward because it will get bigger and greater with climate change."

A spokesperson for Natural England said it appreciated the disruption local residents had faced as a result of Storm Ingrid, including the temporary closure of the A379.

They said: "We will continue working with the local authority as part of the Slapton Line Partnership to find a long-term solution to the impact of coastal erosion to the road."

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