Dawlish storm damage rail line closure 'to cost economy millions'
Network Rail said the line, which is hanging in mid-air, will take a minimum of six weeks to repair
The storm destruction of the railway line connecting Devon and Cornwall to the rest of the UK will cost the South West economy millions of pounds each day, business leaders have claimed.
Network Rail said the line, which is hanging in mid-air, will take a minimum of six weeks to repair.
In Cornwall, storms have caused damage set to cost £14m to repair so far this year, the local council has estimated.
Across the South West more than 900 homes are still without power.
In Exeter, on Wednesday evening, a man was rescued from flood water at Silverton Mill.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said he was found on the roof of his van. His condition is unknown.
In Kingsand and Cawsand in south-east Cornwall, the high tide overnight has caused further damage to the seafront buildings and walls.
Big waves have battered the Seaton Beach Cafe
On Tuesday night, a number of properties were evacuated after Kingsand became swamped by huge waves and stones washed ashore damaged houses and smashed windows.
'Major blow'
Resident John De Frane, who suffered a head injury, said: "A huge wave hit the house and took the door off its hinges.
"The water knocked me backwards and I went up the hallway under water and hit my head, knees, elbows and shoulders."
Cornwall Council said the village clock tower was "in a dangerous condition" after it was battered by huge waves.
Following the destruction of the main railway line at Dawlish, Network Rail said it was "fully committed to restoring a key main line" and "work starts this morning".
Devon and Cornwall Business Council's Tim Jones said the closure was "hugely significant" and "hugely damaging" for the region's economy.
"We've done some initial assessments of what it will cost and we estimate it will be between £1m and £2m a day.
"The amount is based on estimates from last year when Cowley Bridge Junction was closed, disruption to business travellers, the amount lost from taxi companies and businesses around train stations - if you add it all up you come to the estimate we have.
"We've got to live with the problem of the Dawlish sea wall and come up with a financially viable solution."
But David Parlby, from the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, said: "Financially we think it will cost £20m for each day the line is closed... to have it disconnected is a major blow."
Several homes are at risk in Dawlish after the sea wall was breached
Chris Pomfrett, chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "I think Dawlish has been an accident waiting to happen.
This, on top of the problems last year north of Exeter [Cowley Bridge Junction], asks the question when are we going to take a proper look at our transport infrastructure?
"If we want to get businesses to grow here and improve the economy, you have to have an absolutely resilient transport infrastructure."
'Totally destroyed'
On Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron announced an extra £100m for flood repairs across the country.
After chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, he said he had seen "the shocking pictures of the destroyed train line in Dawlish".
Up to 150ft (46m) of railway track was destroyed and Dawlish station was also damaged on Wednesday.
Network Rail's Robin Gisby said: "What we will do in the next 48 hours is protect the line from what we understand will be another big storm over the weekend.
"So our concern at the moment is that the 260ft (80m) wall that's gone is leaving the rest of it exposed.
"We've got a lot of staff just protecting it and then we'll come up with a better assessment of how long it's going to take to rebuild."
In Plymouth, BBC Radio Devon's Jo Irving said the end of Hoe Road was "still cordoned off after waves totally destroyed part of the sea wall in two places".
BBC Radio Cornwall's Johnny O'Shea said there was debris everywhere in Seaton
In Porthleven, Cornwall, ten boats sank after the outer harbour was breached on Wednesday and a crane has been working to lift several boats out of the water.
Harbourmaster Phil Ward said: "We've got away very lightly, we've lost some stones and the lifeboat roof."
The Met Office has issued a yellow and amber warning of rain and there is a further risk of gales on Thursday night.