Jonathan MorrisSouth West

PA Media The picture shows a large tree that has been uprooted and fallen across a residential street. The tree is lying on its side, with its roots exposed and tangled near the pavement. Its branches and foliage cover a significant portion of the road and lean against a house, which appears to have a slate roof and white walls. The fallen tree has also damaged a metal fence and is resting near two wheelie bins, one blue and one yellow, positioned at the corner of the street. — A Falmouth house was left damaged by a fallen tree

Thousands of homes in Cornwall are still struggling without electricity and water four days after Storm Goretti tore through the region.

National Grid said 7,504 properties remain without power, mostly around Helston, while South West Water (SWW) confirmed about 3,000 homes were without water but bosses were hopeful most would be reconnected later. Cornwall Council said 31 schools were either closed or opening late.

Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, said: “If this happened in London or the home counties the government would have declared national emergency.”

Minister for Nature Mary Creagh said the water issues were “entirely unacceptable”.

A red warning was in force in Cornwall during Storm Goretti

PA Media The picture shows a large white Iveco lorry lying on its side on the edge of a road. The vehicle appears to have overturned, with its wheels facing sideways and its undercarriage fully visible. The cab is intact, but the position suggests a serious incident, likely caused by strong winds or loss of control. The lorry is resting partly on the tarmac and partly on a gravel shoulder — A red warning was in force in Cornwall during Storm Goretti

Sam Bottomley from SWW said the affect on supplies was “unprecedented” with damage to mains from fallen trees and every pumping station out of action from power cuts.

“We are suffering the same as everybody else, with power supplies and we are working closely with the National Grid,” he told BBC Radio Cornwall.

Bottled water stations have been set up at Old Flambards Car Park in Helston, open 24 hours, and Mullion School on Meaver Road, open from 07:00 GMT to 22:00.

Meanwhile, Great Western Railway (GWR) said the train line between Par and Newquay was still closed and disruption was expected until the end of the day.

Urging the government to act, George said: “I think this is the worst storm in living memory.”

Creagh said she had held a meeting with water bosses over the issues.

“I remain very concerned that people in several areas in the South East and South West are experiencing water supply issues following both cold weather and Storm Goretti,” she said.

Janine Williams, who runs the Blue Anchor pub in Helston, said: “It’s been a bit of a mess, we’ve had a lot of people coming in trying to charge their phones.

“We’ve been quite lucky. The electric stayed on, and we’ve got well water, so we’ve managed to keep our doors open.

“We’ve had our fires on and heating on, so people have had a warm place to sit.

“Last night our mains water got cut off again after being put back on.”

Almoist 100 trees on St Michael’s Mount were felled by the storm

PA Media The picture shows an aerial view of a rocky island surrounded by the sea, with waves crashing against the shoreline. At the top of the island sits a large historic castle-like building made of stone, perched on elevated ground.
The island itself is covered in a mix of manicured green lawns and dense patches of trees. Some areas of the trees appear damaged or fallen from strong winds or a recent storm. — Almoist 100 trees on St Michael’s Mount were felled by the storm

A man in his 50s died when a tree fell on a caravan in Mawgan during Thursday’s red weather warning.

Almost 100 trees were felled by the storm on St Michael’s Mount near Penzance.

Charlie Jose, a tree surgeon from Penzance, said he had three months’ work ahead of him.

“It’s mainly the conifers,” he said.

“They’re used to south-westerly winds, but when you get something coming from a different direction at that velocity, they just can’t stand it. It’s wiped out multiple trees.

“It’s tragic to see a location devastated like that. We were out first thing Friday morning and haven’t been home much since. We’ve got no water or electric at home.

“Phones have been ringing all the time, voicemails and texts.”

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