THE Cornish community of Boscastle is planning some low key events to mark the 10th anniversary of the flood that swept away cars and buildings in the fishing port.

Residents will give quiet thanks that miraculously no lives were lost after a deluge of rain led to a wall of water ripping through the natural harbour, leaving many people to be plucked to safety by military helicopters and others homeless.

Scores of cars and trees were swept away as an estimated 440 million gallons of water tore through the lower part of the village.

Carole Talboys, who witnessed the disaster on August 16 2014, said: "If you didn't know [it had happened] you wouldn't know now. They did a very good job of rebuilding Boscastle," she said. "But I can say, and I am sure that for a lot of people who were there then, it changed [the village] for ever. There were people who never really got over what happened to them.

"Boscastle is not the same as it used to be. You can't lament that because of such a positive outcome. We are not mourning our lost, we are mourning stones and you can't do that for long.

"You hear about the tsunamis like Japan and Boxing Day in 2004 - massive events that affected thousands of people. We were very small in that respect but it is an experience that you are not likely to forget."