A couple taking pictures of Storm Imogen had a lucky escape
when they were hit by a gigantic wave and swept 50ft along the seafront.
The pair had been photographing the wild weather at South
Quay in Newquay just after 4pm yesterday when they were knocked over by the
colossal wave.
The woman suffered a broken arm after she landed in a boat
on the quay, while her partner was washed into some railings which stopped him
falling into the harbour.
A group of four RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)
volunteers witnessed the entire episode and immediately went to help the
terrified couple.
The woman was found extremely dazed and confused, with
multiple head injuries as well as the broken arm.
Dramatic pictures show the man being knocked to the ground
as the powerful wave struck.
Storm Imogen whips up foamy waves on coast of Cornwall
Meanwhile, rescue teams are spending a second day searching
for RSPCA inspector Mike Reid who disappeared while trying to rescue birds as
Storm Imogen lashed a Cornwall beach.
Mike Reid, 54, went to save the stranded gannets at
Porthchapel Beach, near Penzance, at about 2pm on Sunday, but has not been seen
since.
As he was on a night shift, he was only reported missing at
6am the following morning.
His family fear he may have been swept out to sea and are
anxiously awaiting news at the family home.
His wife Tracey, 45, said she feared he had fallen over a
cliff and been swept into the sea.
She said: 'He loves animals and would do anything to rescue
them.
We are all devastated and feeling numb, but we just don't know what is
happening at the moment.'
Conditions out at sea reached 'phenomenal' states, with
waves topping 16m (52ft 6in) and a monster of 19.1m (63ft) recorded off St
Ives.
Several people were injured yesterday, including two
children who had a stone wall fall on them in Bretforton, near Evesham in
Worcestershire.
The incident came less than two weeks after the local
authority inspected the wall and found no immediate danger to the public.
A man in his 70s had a broken leg and his dog was killed
after a garden wall blew on to them in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, at about 8am
yesterday.
Meanwhile in the St Annes area of Bristol, a man in his 40s
was injured after trees fell on to a three-storey block of flats.
Elsewhere, a father and daughter near Exeter had a 100ft
tree blown on to their car outside their house, minutes before they were due to
leave for school.
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