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Penzance Promenade gets a good washing - again

The Western Morning News kept readers updated with a live blog detailing the news:

CORNWALL is once again facing devastating storm conditions as strong winds, high seas and torrential rain blast the county.

The military have been drafted in to help deliver sand bags to those who need them most.

Penzance as of 3.30pm today, two hours before high tide.

Cornwall Council has opened its multi-agency crisis centre, Silver Command, to deliver a co-ordinated response to the adverse weather. The Prom at Penzance has been closed off by police while Sennen and Porthleven face the storm’s full force.

A wave measuring more than 17 foot was registered on Sevenstones buoy off the coast of Penzance. Updates as they come in;

*Penzance train station is said to be completely under water.

*Take care - Cornwall Council has announced there will be no gritting tonight because their hands are full tackling flooding incidents.

*Penzance prom to remain closed until morning in order to remove debris.

*Crisis control command centre in Cornwall, Silver Control, will be reduced to a skeleton crew in operation from 4.30am on Saturday morning until two hours after high tide. Crews from the police and Cormac will be on standby in Porthleven from 4.30am on Saturday morning in case of problems caused by the strong winds.

Read more: http://www.westbriton.co.uk/LIVE-Weather-updates-Cornwall/story-20631556-<br><br>detail/story.html##ixzz2tLMCdaw4

Valentine Storm hits Newlyn #eatmorefish #openforbusiness

Good to see Quayside distribution making sure the fish delivery gets through no matter what!

Video courtesy of Ade Keast.

Weather: Fishermen 'desperate' as unprecedented storms ground boats for months

Storm casualty in Newlyn - sunk in her berth

As politicians focus their attention on flood hit areas, coastal communities feel they are being ignored despite the grave situation they are facing

Fishermen across the south coast are facing a “desperate” situation as storms and high seas have grounded boats for almost two months.

Many have been unable to earn any money since before Christmas and as hurricane force winds smash their boats and fishing equipment it is feared that the losses could run into many millions.

Despite their plight they are being ignored by politicians, industry representatives claimed a day after David Cameron pledged that whatever was needed would be spent on the areas hit by flooding.

Along the entire south coast of England and Wales, smaller boats have been completely grounded and even the larger trawlers have only been able to snatch short periods at sea before the weather forces them to return to shore. Conservative estimates suggest that at least 2,000 boats, around 4,000 fishermen, have been affected.

Tony Delahunty, Chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) South East Committee, and the organisations Chairman-elect, said that the “relentless ferocity” of the wind is unprecedented. “It is devastating, absolutely devastating. Everybody is deeply depressed and they are worried about the future," he said. “Everybody has got families to think about and mortgages to pay, it is horrendous. “It is also a little bit galling when you see the attention that is being paid to the flooding when coastal communities are really really struggling – we feel we are being ignored. “We need help as well, we need support, but at the moment it feels that we are being overlooked. We have the utmost sympathy for those whose homes are flooded, but everybody is struggling." “It is devastating.

Empty fish market

There are no earnings coming in which means it is a problem keeping the crew and keeping up with the payments on their boats.” Compounding the fact that the boats cannot go out to sea is the fact that their fixed gear, such as pots and ropes, is being smashed and damaged by the huge waves which have been battering the coast of the country. They have been unable to get out to rescue it. Also, some vessels which have run aground have been looted.

There is no let up in the long term forecast and by the time the storms subside the fishermen could have lost more than two months of earnings, money they will be unable to recoup. Mr Delahunty said: “The combination of high tides and extreme gales has hammered infrastructures, including vessels, harbours, sea defences and gears. The costs will run into many millions.”

Mr Delahunty, who works on a shellfish trawler from Selsey in West Sussex, said: “This is unprecedented. I have been fishing for more than 40 years and we have had bad weather, but never has it been so violent and so extreme. “We have had a month of gales before, but these are nearly hurricane force - we have never had such severe weather over so prolonged a period.”

It is not just the fishermen themselves who are affected - it is the whole industry which relies on the daily catch. Mr Delahunty said: “It is crippling the markets as well, they haven’t had any fish and they have got overheads and staff to pay. It is not just the fishermen it is right across the board.”

The lack of supply caused by the treacherous conditions has pushed up the price of fish, and recently some wholesale prices have been double what is expected, said Andy Wheeler of the Cornish Fish Producers Association. “That price rise will be passed on to consumers,” he said. Mr Delahunty added: “All of this amounts to a serious setback for the industry at a time when the boats have enough to contend with, adapting to new marine protected areas, quota reductions and the imminent arrival of a discard ban.”

Full story courtesy of the Daily telegraph

Local MPs support our beleaguered fishermen

Nick Clegg has said he will ask the Prime Minister to ensure that fishermen whose lives have been made a misery by the stormy weather have the same access to hardship funds as those in the worst hit flood areas.

The Deputy Prime Minister was speaking after a visit to Porthleven Harbour in West Cornwall yesterday where he met with local fishermen, who have been unable to fish or tend to equipment because of the violent weather.

The Cornish Fish Producers Organisation warned earlier this week that fishermen who have been trapped on land because of the ferocious storms may risk sailing in dangerous conditions to take advantage of soaring prices due to dwindling fish market stocks.

Mr Clegg, who is visiting Newquay to meet with Visit Cornwall head Malcolm Bell, said he was keen to ensure the fishermen got the same access to hardship funds as businesses who have been affected by the floods elsewhere.

“They have had a terrible time of it,” he said. “It seems to me the fishermen have a very good claim to be able to apply to hardship funds in the same way that a village shop in rural Somerset has been able to claim. I will be asking the Prime Minister back in Westminster to look at just that.”

The Liberal Democrat said the country was facing the most unprecedented level of disruption caused by weather it had faced in over 200 years.

Following on from a speech earlier, where Energy Secretary Ed Davey said Britain’s climate change policy was under threat from a “diabolical cocktail of nimbyism, he said he suspected the recent violent weather was as a result of climate change.

He also backed plans to explore alternative options to the line through Dawlish and said it was important people listened to the message from businesses that Cornwall is open for business.

He said: “I certainly think it needs to be looked at and that’s exactly what Patrick McLoughlin is going to do. We need to make sure we look at every route which is viable, whether it’s a return to pre-beach route or another route.”