Debris at Torquay where the seafront was temporarily closed

Looe beach was closed by coastguards and windsurfers have been told to get out of the sea at Exmouth because of the dangerous conditions.

Some surfers defied coastguards as police attempted to enforce warnings at Mevagissey, Porthleven on the Lizard Peninsula and at Penzance.

Penzance seafront has been closed amid widespread flooding around Cornwall.

Emergency services have been dealing with a number of fallen trees, and power cables brought down by the storm-force winds.

Latest incidents include:

• Buses replacing trains between Plymouth and Penzance because of trees on the line

• Sea wall at Newlyn in Cornwall collapsing

• Harbour wall being washed away at Lamorna Cove in Cornwall

• Forty homes at Looe in Cornwall evacuated after flooding.

• Fifty homes flooded at Kingsand in Cornwall

Gusts of up to 80mph are forecast for the early evening.

A Falmouth coastguards spokesman said that while the surf on the north coast was negligible, waves on the south coast were "monstrous".

He said: "Inexperienced surfers are dicing with death if they go out in these conditions.

"It may seem tempting with large waves, but it is reckless in the extreme."

Torquay seafront, which was closed on Wednesday morning, will be closed again from 1900 BST and possibly on Thursday.

Ferry cancelled

Brittany Ferries said Wednesday's 1600 service from Plymouth to Santander in northern Spain had been cancelled because of the stormy conditions.

Travellers booked on that service who wished to cross the Channel on the unaffected Plymouth-Roscoff, northern France, route would be given a 25% discount on the outbound fare.

The next Brittany Ferries crossing to Roscoff leaves at 2300.

The storm conditions also affected ferry service to the Isles of Scilly.

The ferry did not sail from Penzance on the 28-mile trip to the Scillies at 0915.

A spokesman for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company said it did not look as though there would a service on Thursday either.