Falmouth: Cornwall misses out on port wind farm funding

An offshore wind farm is planned for the Celtic Sea

The government has announced Cornwall will miss out on money to prepare ports for handling turbines for a wind farm in the Celtic Sea.

The move, which will see funding go to ports in Scotland and Wales rather than Falmouth as had been hoped, was described as "a great disappointment".

The project is estimated to be worth £1.5b to the economy and generate thousands of jobs.

North Devon MP Selaine Saxby said it was "frustrating".

"I don't think we should lose sight of the innovation that's going on in Cornwall," she said.

The Conservative MP said she would call on the government to reconsider and added: "If you don't ask, you don't get."

Floating wind farms can be placed in deeper water where there is often higher wind and out of sight from land.

Money has been earmarked for Port Talbot

The wind turbines are floated on massive steel structures and tethered or anchored to the seabed.

Professor Deborah Greaves, who specialises in ocean engineering at the University of Plymouth, said: "There's a huge benefit we could have and we might lose it and it's a great disappointment it's not going to Falmouth."