We watched a row of cottages fold up like a pack of cards Ken Oxenholme

The water flowed off the moors and into the rivers East and West Lyn which came together as a raging torrent in the steep, narrow valley leading into Lynmouth.

Tom Denham, owner of the Lyndale Hotel, said his cellars had flooded before so he was not too worried at first.

He said: "About half-past nine there was a tremendous roar. The West Lyn had broken its banks and pushed against the side of the hotel, bringing with it thousands of tons of rocks and debris in its course.

"It carried away the chapel opposite and a fruit shop. Three people in the fruit shop were swept against the lounge windows of the hotel. We managed to pull them through in the nick of time.

"I then ordered everyone to go to the second floor, where they huddled in the corridors for safety. In all we had 60 people in the hotel all night."

A fisherman, Ken Oxenholme, said the high street was impassable so he had to run through the woods to reach his wife and child, who were staying in a caravan at the top end of Lynmouth.

He said: "As we watched, we saw a row of cottages near the river, in the flashes of lightning because it was dark by this time, fold up like a pack of cards and swept out with the river with the agonising screams of some of the local inhabitants who I knew very well."

The Queen has sent a message of sympathy, which was read out at a meeting in the town hall this evening. A telegram of sympathy was also received from Queen Mary.

The full extent of the damage is not yet clear. Early estimates say it will cost between £3 and £5m to repair.

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