Eden Project shuts after rain causes landslides
THE Eden Project was closed yesterday after multiple landslides at the edge of the site prompted safety concerns.
The popular attraction, built in a former clay mining quarry at St Blazey, experienced significant rainfall causing landslides and flooding yesterday morning, with visitors turned away.
Meanwhile homes hit by flooding in South East Cornwall on Friday night remained swamped by water yesterday. Eighteen people were evacuated after flooding at Notter Bridge, near Saltash, in the early hours of Saturday.
THE Eden Project was closed for safety reasons yesterday after multiple landslides at the edge of the site.
The popular attraction, built in a former clay mining quarry at St Blazey, experienced significant rainfall overnight causing landslides and flooding at the site yesterday morning, leading to its closure.
Visitors to the site were reportedly told to return to their cars upon arrival at the site by attendants at the gate due to the incident, and the Eden Project website said yesterday that it would be closed for the remainder of the day.
Spokesperson David Rowe said: “High volumes of rainwater has caused several landslips on the site. The Eden Project is a former quarry so there have been several landslips on the edge of the site and we took the decision to close as a safety decision. There is no indication that the hothouses (the biomes) have been damaged and there has been no injury to any person. We will advise when we will reopen.”
Meanwhile homes hit by flooding in South East Cornwall on Friday night remained swamped by water yesterday. Crews from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and rescue teams from across Devon were called to the scene at Notter Bridge, near Saltash, in the early hours of Saturday. At a caravan site, around fifty caravans were searched and eighteen people were evacuated due to the mass flooding.
The call to the Notter Bridge caravan site where water had breached the flood defence came after red flood warnings were issued across the county. Coastguard Rescue Teams from Plymouth, the Tamar, Looe and Bigbury worked alongside Fire and Rescue crews from Cornwall and Devon, Dartmoor search and rescue teams and 4X4 Response units, and the police were in attendance.
Both ‘ red’ and ‘ amber’ Environment Agency flood alerts remained in place yesterday for a number of rivers across Devon and Cornwall.
The River Lynher reached its highest recorded level following heavy rain, according to the Environment Agency. In its ‘ red’ flood warning alert for the river it said: “Heavy and intense rain in the area has caused river levels at Bastreet and Pillaton to rise through Friday 18th December. River levels at Pillaton reached the highest on record”.