An Exmouth coastwatch building had to be evacuated after it was battered by stormy weather last night. It's feared that the building may have to be condemned.
Exmouth has suffered some of the worst Storm Pierrick as a dramatic video showed waves crashing over the sea wall, drenching passers-by. A weather warning was put in place by the Met Office for gusts of 45-55mph for Monday night, while the Environment Agency warned that flooding was possible.
Volunteers at Exmouth's National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) arrived to their lookout station this morning (April 9) to find that the foundations of one of the two buildings had collapsed into the sea. They said that the building was evacuated and had been "propped up" temporarily by East Devon District Council.
In a Facebook post, NCI Exmouth said: "Coastwatch House suffered damage last night in the storm. The property has now been evacuated, with the council propping it up temporarily. Looks like we will need a new home.
"Some people refer to this building as the "old First Aid Hut" but it's been a Coastwatch building for the last 25 years."
⚠️ Want the latest Devon breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join our WhatsApp group . We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice ⚠️
Station manager Peter Oliver told the BBC that contractors have started work to make the area safe. He says the other lookout tower has been unaffected and that their operations would continue there.
Peter said: "We believe the decision will be to condemn the building. We'll lose our training facilities which is problematic but not insurmountable.
"We've been able to recover most of the materials inside and moved them into people garages, the team has been absolutely brilliant, you just can't beat the sea."
Following the storm, the Environment Agency says that flooding is expected to continue to impact parts of England today. They have advised people to take care in coastal areas and avoid driving through flood water.
Harry Walton, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said: "Due to a combination of spring tides and strong winds generating storm surge and large waves, minor coastal flooding impacts are probable for parts of England on Monday and Tuesday.
"Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and support those communities affected. We urge people to stay safe on the coast, take extreme care on coastal paths and promenades, and we advise people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car."
