Eden Project closed until after Christmas

Large amounts of rainwater caused landslips on the side of the former quarry and damaged a road above it

The Eden Project is to stay closed until after Christmas, bosses have said.

The attraction, near St Austell, in Cornwall, shut to visitors following flooding and landslips at the weekend.

Managers said it would "remain closed to visitors over the Christmas period for safety reasons" and a decision on when to reopen would next be reviewed on 26 December.

Ticketholders would "automatically be refunded", they said.

The site was closed early on Sunday as a safety precaution after "high volumes of rainwater" caused landslips on the side of the former quarry and damaged the road above it.

Eden said it was still working "to control the flow of water"

The attraction said it was "very sorry to disappoint visitors who had planned to attend since Sunday" but that "the safety of all visitors and staff remained top priority".

It added work had continued "to control the flow of water, survey the full extent of the damage and to plan a safe reopening".

Advice on when the site was likely to reopen would be available on Eden's website, staff said.

The environmental attraction gardens had been open since 3 December, when the county was put into tier one coronavirus restrictions.

The Eden Project, which is built in a disused china clay quarry and first opened in 2001, also suffered serious flooding in 2010.