Truro Golf Club ‘closed for foreseeable’

A golf club in Cornwall remains closed after Storm Goretti brought down dozens of trees on its grounds.

The storm, which brought a rare red wind warning on Thursday night, left widespread damage in its wake, with one man being found dead after a tree fell onto a caravan in Mawgan, near Helston.

Truro Golf Club owner Peter Simmons said he thought between 80 and 100 trees had fallen on the club’s grounds during the storm, equating to several thousand pounds worth of damage.

Cornwall Council said its highways teams had been responding to about 1,000 incidents, many involving fallen trees.

“We’re going to be closed for the foreseeable future,” Mr Simmons said.

“Any time you see sort of natural damage like this it’s very sad, but for the golf course where we’re doing so much, and where so much work is put in to make the course playable and lovely for all, it’s really quite sad.

“Our green keeper was particularly upset when he came here on Friday morning.”

He added: “We hope to get chainsaws in action starting hopefully from tomorrow, if not before, and then it’s going to be a case of planning risk assessments, making sure the golf course and areas around the golf course are safe so that our staff and tree surgeons can operate safely.”

The council urged people to avoid attempting to clear large debris on their own.

In a statement on social media, the council said: “Crews have been working through the weekend to clear roads and make areas safe, but some locations remain hazardous and further disruption is possible.

“Please do not move or remove road closure signs, and avoid attempting to clear large debris yourself, as there may be hidden dangers such as unstable trees or fallen power lines.”