Devon and Cornwall flood warnings remain in wake of storm

A clear-up is continuing in Devon and Cornwall after Storm Ciarán left many properties damaged and hundreds of homes without power.

Flood warnings are still in place with heavy rain predicted to fall on saturated ground for most of Saturday.

The Met Office has extended a yellow warning for rain across both counties.

Hundreds of homes are also still without power after wind gusts of 95mph were recorded as the storm swept across the region.

Clarissa Newell, from the Environment Agency (EA), said rivers would rise "really quickly" because the ground was already saturated by rain.

She urged people to sign up to the EA's flood warning service and check their area for flooding risk.

Branch line train services between Exeter and Barnstaple and Okehampton and between Plymouth and Gunnislake have been cancelled.

A GWR spokesman said there would still be some disruption on main lines and advised train travellers to check before heading out.

The owner of a hotel hit by huge waves said it would be at least a week before it could reopen.

Waves hit the South Sands Hotel in Salcombe on Thursday, blowing the doors in and flooding the restaurant.

Owner David Noble said the hotel staff had done a "superb job" trying to clean up.

"We'll see how quickly we can get ourselves back on our feet, hopefully in seven or eight days," he told BBC Radio Devon

Student Kate Marsh told the BBC she was woken at 05:30 GMT when the roof of her bedroom in Falmouth, Cornwall, entirely blew off and collapsed onto her.

"I woke up the rest of the house screaming," she told BBC Radio Cornwall.

Her landlord is trying to repair the roof as quickly as possible while Ms Marsh was looking for emergency accommodation.

Forecasters are predicting more wind and rain over the weekend.

"It's going to remain very windy over the next few days with 40mph (64km/h) to 50mph (80km/h) gusts into the weekend," said BBCSW broadcast meteorologist Bee Tucker.

"Some places have had over 40mm (1.6ins) of rain in the last 24 hours, with the average for November about 145mm (6ins) to 150mm.

"Some of the heaviest showers could give 20mm (0.8in) of rain and some places could get all their average rainfall by the end of play on Sunday."

The storm has brought large amounts of ghost gear, or discarded netting and other fishing items, ashore at Polkerris beach, near St Austell in south Cornwall.

Ghost gear can entangle and kill wildlife at sea and on shore.

"There are also millions of pieces of plastic on the beach. It's the worst I have seen it," said Andy Frost from environmental organisation Turn the Tide.

He appealed for volunteers to help remove the netting.

"If there are locals available today, the beach is in chaos with litter so they could help out there," he said.

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