NINE people had to be evacuated from four properties in Torcross as days of high spring tides and wild seas caused carnage along the South Hams coast.

The operation was carried out by the Coastguard and the police, as huge waves combined with Tuesday night's high tide threw shingle and water against sea front properties, smashing windows and flooding houses.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: 'At 9.57pm Brixham Coastguard received reports of houses being flooded by breaking waves at Torcross.

'Dartmouth Coastguard and Prawle Point Coastguard rescue team, in conjunction with the police, checked properties to make sure the residents were safe.'

Gail Stubbs, from the Start Bay Inn was called down to the pub, on the seafront at Torcross, around 9pm on Tuesday night.

She said: 'The sea was coming in down the alley between us and the Boathouse and started to come into the building. We were sweeping the water through the kitchen and out the other side between about 9.30pm and midnight, then we got the shutters and sandbags in place.

'We were really lucky and managed to stop any more water coming in. We had people eating fish and chips as the staff were dealing with all this.

'Some people in the village were evacuated, and a few windows pushed in. Not just the glass, the whole window frame pushed into the house.

'One house has had its entire front wall destroyed, the force of the sea was amazing. It has been really frightening.'

A spokesman for South Hams Council said on Wednesday morning: 'Our teams have been down there since early this morning trying to make sure people are as safe as possible in the circumstances.'

More on this story - plus lots of pictures - in this week's Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette