Cornish left under the weather by forecast

A SWATHE of Cornwall has seen roads turn into rivers as the chairman of a local council complained forecasters had given no flood warnings.

Huge amounts of rainfall across the county caused residents to gather sandbags to help divert flood water yesterday.

A handful of people needed to be rescued from gushing torrents across the region with reports of flooding also spreading to Bodmin, Launceston and Fowey.

But David Pengelly, the chairman of Polperro council, said the rain had been “nothing like what’s been forecast”, leaving residents on the back foot.

He said: “It’s absolutely horrendous rain here. The amount of rain we’re having here it’s like a cloudburst, it’s like a river. We haven’t heard the flood alarm go off yet. It’s nothing like what’s been forecast.”

Pictures emerged of filthy water rushing through the streets with cars getting flooded and many roads becoming impassable.

Wadebridge Community Fire Station received multiple calls to rescue drivers after they attempted to make it through the rising water.

The first call came in the afternoon when a van became stranded in water, followed by a second call to a car in water near Hengar Manor.

A Met Office spokesman said the rainfall was likely to have eased off by evening.