'We've got to plan for floods as climate changes'

The Lost Gardens of Heligan had a month's worth of rain in just 12 hours

The boss of a Cornish attraction that received most of its expected August rainfall in 12 hours has warned climate change means people need to plan for more flooding.

David Harland, chief executive of the 200-year-old Lost Gardens of Heligan, said: "We're going to see this more with the climate changing around us, we're going to see these extremes.

"I think the key is we've got to get a bit ready for it."

The gardens recorded 76mm (2.99in) of rainfall during a deluge on Thursday night and Friday morning, forcing the garden to close for some time because the rain caused "a lot of damage to our paths".

Heavy rain ran down the pathways carrying debris with it

Cornwall Council workers were called to 89 flooding incidents across the highways network, while Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said it attended 11 flooding incidents on Thursday evening and into Friday morning.

Mr Harland told BBC Radio Cornwall: "When you've got these extremes - these large quantities of water - it damages the paths, the trees; we've got a bit of roof damage."

He said it posed challenges as "that quantity of water is really quite difficult to deal with".

He explained the land had been very dry and could not absorb the floodwater quickly and it was "just running off the top".

Staff worked to clear the paths so the gardens could reopen

"You want steady rainfall when it comes after that dry period. That allows the ground to act a bit more like a sponge," he said.

Instead, material from the historic paths moved down a slope and forced its way into the drains, causing backing-up, Mr Harland explained.

He said the attraction had not seen "damage like this" in one night for at least a decade.

"It was pretty extreme," he added.

A sludge of mud filled the car park

In Kingsand, on the Rame peninsula, there was thick sludge and a torrent of water in the car park.

Resident Adrian Skinner spent 18 hours bailing out gravel and mud from his cottage, nearby garages, which were full of thick red mud, and a tourist office in the car park.

He said: "I'm terrified now when it starts raining. I'm really on edge.

"It's happened before, but not to this extent. It's been getting worse over the years."

Adrian Skinner spent hours mopping out his cottage and also the tourist office in Kingsand

Jon Kidd, chairman of Maker with Rame Parish Council, said there was a 2ft (0.6m) deep torrent of water in the car park and the tourist office took the "full force".

"It was so strong you couldn't really stand up in the torrent. It was very dangerous as well."

He said it was rare to have so much mud and the parish council had been working with the Environment Agency's land management staff to understand why it had happened.

"It shouldn't ever happen," he said, adding he wanted to "get more energy, more pace to solve the problem together".

The water lifted stones in Looe

Mr Kidd said the parish council was also working with farmers to ensure "that volume of topsoil is not lost forever".

The parish council was also working with Cornwall Council and South West Water to "find ways of mitigating this in the future", he added.

Meanwhile, Trina Crawford, landlady of the Fisherman's Arms in East Looe, said "I've never seen anything like it" as the pub's cellar was under about 2ft (0.61m) of water.

"It was coming down the side street off the side of the pub like a river. It was bringing bins, bricks and debris down the street."