Rain a Blessing for Westcountry Farmers

Up to two inches (5cm) of rain fell in parts of the Westcountry yesterday as the region was hit with a wave of wet weather.

While it was a "blessing" for farmers worried over the recent dearth of rain, dozens of outdoor events had to be cancelled at the last minute.

According to the Met Office, Cornwood outside Plymouth was worst-affected with 44mm of rain that fell from between midnight into Sunday morning and the afternoon.

A spokesman said: "Cornwood is particularly exposed and by the end of the day we're expecting a good two inches of rain to have fallen. The worst-hit part of Cornwall is Cardinham near Bodmin with 34mm.

"All the signs are that by Monday the rain will have given way and conditions will be generally dry with a few sunny spells in parts.

"For the rest of the week it will be a mixed bag of unsettled weather."

Yesterday afternoon the Environment Agency had issued flood alerts at spots on the east coast in Devon including Beesands, Torcross, Slapton, Torbay and Dawlish.

Strong south-easterly winds coupled with high tides were expected to spark flooding in the respective areas.

Events forced to cancel in Cornwall included the national Open Farm scheme, created to encourage members of the public to visit a farm and see how it works.

Boscawen Farm at Blackwater near Truro was due to take part in the event but cancelled.

Billy McGibbon, who works on the farm, said he hoped the open day would be held at a future date: "The rain left us with no choice but to cancel. We were very disappointed. A few people did turn up, but it wasn't very nice for them.

"People should enjoy their first visit to a farm and should not have to battle bad weather.

"I left a bucket outside overnight on Saturday and by Sunday morning there was around an inch and a half of rainwater inside.

"But it's been a mixed blessing for us farmers – while we were loathed to cancel the open day, our fields were in need of a good soaking."