Graves disturbed after Storm Goretti uproots trees

6 days ago

Jonathan MorrisSouth West

News image — Several graves were disturbed after trees were uprooted at Paul cemetery near Mousehole

BBC The picture shows a graveyard where a large tree has been uprooted, pulling up soil and roots with it. The fallen tree has disturbed a grave, tilting the headstone and surrounding frame at an angle. The grave appears to have flowers placed on it, and part of the stone edging is still visible among the earth and roots. In the foreground, there are other gravestones, including one with a cross marker. — Several graves were disturbed after trees were uprooted at Paul cemetery near Mousehole

Several graves have been disturbed after trees were uprooted at a cemetery as Storm Goretti lashed Cornwall.

The graves, some of them recent, were damaged near Mousehole as the storm hit on Thursday - one resident described the scene as "heartbreaking for the relatives".

Further details of the trail of destruction caused by the storm are emerging across the county, with the National Trust now estimating it will cost "hundreds of thousands of pounds" to remove thousands of felled trees at its properties and gardens.

More than 1,000 homes in Cornwall were still without power at 12:00 on Tuesday, according to the National Grid.

National Trust A dirt path that is obstructed by a fallen tree. The tree is blocking the path and has damaged a fence. — The National Trust said thousands of trees were felled at its sites in Cornwall, including Godolphin near Helston

Seven schools in the county are closed or opening late on Tuesday, most of them in The Lizard area which was among the areas hit hardest by the storm.

People planning to use the train between Par and Newquay face another day of disruption with services cancelled for the rest of the day due to the strong winds toppling trees onto the tracks and damaging signalling systems. Replacement bus services are in place.

Water supplies are back on in Helston, although South West Water warned some taps may still run brown.

The company said the discolouration should clear after running the cold kitchen tap for an hour, and added: "The water is fine to drink."

They warned it could take up to 24 hours to return to normal.

National Trust A tin roof with a large hole in it. In the background is the sea. — Levant Mine, part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, was damaged in the storm

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Local resident Rob Blunsdon said the damage at Paul cemetery near Mousehole was "heartbreaking for the relatives of the people that are buried here, especially as some of them are quite recent graves".

"I was really shocked by the way the graves had been disturbed, but then you forget, they're shallow rooted trees."

Truro Golf Club said the fierce winds ripped through the course, felling up to 100 trees and forcing the club to shut its doors.

The damage stretches across the course on the outskirts of the city, with firs and conifers snapped and scattered - the course is likely to be closed for at least another week.

The National Trust estimated work to remove felled trees would cost "hundreds of thousands of pounds", with the worst of the damage reported on St Michael's Mount, where more than 100 were felled - 80% of the island's tree cover.

National Trust A tree on its side across a walkway on a partly cloudy day. — Extensive clean-up operations are under way at the National Trust's Trelissick site

Ian Marsh, the charity's assistant director for the South West, said: "This is the worst storm I've seen in my 16 years with the National Trust.

"Tenants and properties have lost power and water, roads are impassable, and many thousands of trees have been damaged.

"Several of our places remain closed and it will take months of work to get some of our woodlands open and accessible again."

He said the damage had been "devastating" for the trust and its supporters.

"We get storms every year but this was exceptional in terms of its impact," he told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"You start to total up the damage - whether it's a tree that's taken out a fence line or if a gate's taken out - it all costs money."

Adam Carveth, head gardener for Trerice, Glendurgan and Trelissick, said the scale of the damage was "quite a shock".

"There were just trees down everywhere," he said.

"It's a lot of big old trees - once one goes it's like dominoes."

The picture shows a large tree that has fallen across a golf course, blocking the fairway. The tree appears to have snapped near its base, with its branches and limbs sprawled across the bright green grass. The fallen tree is thick and covered in moss, and its branches are tangled with smaller twigs and greenery. Behind the fallen tree, the course stretches uphill, lined with more tall trees on either side. — Truro Golf Club is going to be closed for at least a week

St Ives Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George said: "If this happened in London or the home counties, the government would have declared national emergency."

The government said it had been working with local authorities, network engineers and emergency responders to restore services.

A No 10 spokesperson said the government understood "the difficulties faced by communities in Cornwall" and it was "continuing to work round the clock with local authorities, network engineers and emergency responders to make that happen".

"On Sunday, ministers and MPs held an emergency response meeting with water companies in Cornwall to drive the changes needed to restore water supply while prioritising vulnerable customers, and we will continue to provide whatever support is needed to communities," they explained.

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