West Bay businesses clearing up after Storm Ciarán devastation

West Bay was hit hard by the storm on Thursday as waves compounded with the wind and rain to overflow sea defences and pour into businesses.

Staff at the Watch House Café have been hard at work cleaning up the aftermath of their flooded café, and have even contracted a digger to excavate the front door.

Maisy Attrill, Senior Project Manager at the Watch House said: "Unfortunately we were hit by some freak waves so it is more silt than floor inside.

"We had thought we had got away with it on Thursday after looking at the cameras but then checked them at around 8.05am and saw a massive wave."

The café is aiming to be open by Sunday.

Beverley Beavis, director of Customs House Emporium in West Bay said: "Yesterday (Thursday, October 2) was hell. I got here at quarter past ten and thought it wouldn't be so bad, I have never seen a car park like it.

"The sea had come up and it was running down like a river. It was running all through our café. It was a nightmare."

Doug Fairlie, owner of restaurant Seagulls at West Bay says he was lucky to have been able to get sandbags, saving much of his business from the worst of the flooding. He said: "It (the floodwater) was all around. It was lucky we got some sandbags from the environment agency people. If we hadn't the restaurant would have totally flooded.

"We have been here 30 years and we have never seen it come over the top (of the beach defences), we have had it flood once or twice but never like that."

Leah Miles hosts yoga on the beach at West Bay every Tuesday and Friday, combined with a litter pick. She has had to cancel this week's yoga, but still went to the beach to pick up litter washed up by the storm. She said: "We just thought we would assess the situation with the beach and come and clean it anyway, knowing litter would be churned up and brought in.

"My business is on hold, no yoga today and probably this next week."

Read more: Clean up operation underway in west Dorset after storm chaos