'Highest tide of year' sweeps away Weston-super-Mare beach huts

The "highest tide of the year" saw beach huts swept along the Weston-super-Mare promenade and a beachfront cafe flooded, the council has said.

Waters reaching 13.5 metres spilled over the sea walls on Wednesday night.

Debris has been left all over the promenade and the Bay Cafe is closed for cleaning.

The seafront will be closed on Thursday night with another high tide expected, a North Somerset Council spokesman said.

People who had property in the beach huts were contacted by the council so they could remove it before the waters struck.

"The gates on the seafront were shut. There is a lot of debris along the seafront.

"The Bay Cafe has been flooded and we are assessing the damage at the moment. We will get it open again as quickly as we possibly can," the spokesman added.

The council said it was the highest tide of the year and the spring tides also saw high waters across Bristol, including near Bath Bridge and Sea Mills.

There are currently 14 flood warnings in place in Somerset with the Environment Agency warning high spring tides and strong winds could lead to "overtopping of sea defences".

At Weston-super-Mare seafront, the Environment Agency has forecast the tide height to be significantly lower on Thursday night at about seven metres.