Ex hurricane Bertha 'carnage' as festival cancelled

Music fans were turned away from the Boardmasters festival site at Watergate

Strong winds sweeping the country have forced the Boardmasters music festival to be called off.

Organisers of the festival at Watergate near Newquay, in Cornwall, said the "magnitude of the conditions is too severe for the arena site to be opened".

The festival's surf competition went ahead at Fistral Beach as planned.

Organisers said: "We deeply regret the disappointment caused to festival goers on the final day of Boardmasters 2014."

Campers at the Watergate site reported waterlogged conditions and about 20 tents blown away.

The three-day festival, due to be headlined by Bastille on Sunday night, attracts about 30,000 people for surfing and music.

'Flying tents'

Organisers said festival goers could get refunds via the festival website.

Bastille tweeted they were "gutted" about the cancellation.

Bastille were due to headline the festival on Sunday night

Gracey Woolway tweeted this picture of her teepee tent which collapsed in the night

A Boardmasters festival goer tweeted: "Our campsite is absolute carnage"

The three-day festival was on its final day when strong winds hit the site

The surfing and music festival organisers apologised to ticket holders who can apply for refunds

Daisy Miller tweeted: "I could actually cry about boardmasters being cancelled."

And Emmerliejay tweeted: "Our campsite is absolute carnage. Everyone running round shouting & screaming with tent pegs. Pretty sure this is the end wah."

Henry Barfoot, 20, from Southampton told BBC News: "It started raining about nine o'clock last night and didn't really stop.

"Then the winds picked up as we were coming back from the main stage.

"Loads of stuff has been blown everywhere. Our tent got really wet."

He said many people had packed up and left.

Ferry suspended

The Scillonian ferry, which operates between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly, has been suspended and the Porthleven Lifeboat Day was cancelled for the first time in 40 years, due to the weather.

Earlier on Sunday, winds were gusting up to 40mph in some areas of the south and west, with heavy thunderstorms reported across the Isle of Wight, southern England and Wales.

Hurricane Bertha hit Caribbean islands on Monday before dissipating over the central Atlantic.

The storm now crossing the UK is a low-pressure system which has picked up moisture and energy left over from Bertha.

Radar images showed rain from Bertha heading across the UK

What's the weather like where you are? How are you coping with the heavy rains and high winds? Please email your experiences, including your contact details, to [e-mail] using the heading 'Hurricane Bertha'.