Family caught up in floods terror

Natalie Eaton said everyone was scared and crying.

A Northamptonshire mother and her three daughters are recovering after being caught in Cornwall's terrifying flash floods on Monday.

Diane Eaton and her family, from the Headlands, Northampton, were moved from a holiday cottage in Boscastle to the safety of a local leisure centre.

The four found themselves struggling to get away from the rapidly rising water after going out to look at the river.

Mrs Eaton said the experience had been very frightening.

Her oldest daughter Natalie, 23, said everyone was scared and crying.

Airlifted to safety

"Everyone was just completely emotional. People were watching their cars float by and everyone was just in a state really," she said.

Mrs Eaton, Natalie and her sisters Kerri, 22, and Jenna, 18, were able to start heading for home once the worst of the devastating flooding had subsided. Their car had been above the flood level.

"It has ruined our holiday but I am more worried about the people of Boscastle," Mrs Easton said.

She said the family could go home but many people in the village had lost their livelihoods.

Police said 15 people remained "unaccounted for", as relatives had not been able to make contact with them.

A massive clean-up operation is under way in the village, littered with upturned trees and crumbling walls.

About 150 people were airlifted to safety by the RAF in a rescue operation that began mid-afternoon and lasted till 0200 BST on Tuesday.