Environment Secretary visits flood-hit Cornwall

The Secretary of State for Environment has pledged practical help for flood-hit Cornwall residents to better protect their properties in the future.

Caroline Spelman visited Lostwithiel, Mevagissey and St Austell during a one-day trip to the county she said she was “very keen” to make.

The MP said the government wanted to support the affected communities.

Cornwall Council said early indications suggested that about 230 homes and about 400 businesses were affected.

A massive clean-up operation is under way after the flooding, which was caused by torrential rain overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday.

Some properties were left under 3ft (1m) of mud and about 100 households had to be evacuated.

Residents, firms and council staff are currently assessing the damage as they remove mud and water from premises and streets.

Mrs Spelman said she was keen to visit the county after Prime Minister David Cameron said the government was “ready to help in any way we can”.

She said: “There’s no substitute to coming down and supporting people and supporting the agencies which have, quite frankly, done an amazing job over the last 48 hours.

“I’ve seen with my own eyes the destruction that has been wrought by the water, and we’re certainly going to see what we can do to see this community building resilience because, as far as possible, they never want to see anything like this again.”