A number of locals from the UK's most flooded town have recalled their experiences of living in a town where their quaint high street is often submerged in waist-high water.
The idyllic Cornish town of Looe - which is also the filming location of BBC crime drama Beyond Paradise - falls victim to spring tides every year, with seawater rising up above the quay wall and pouring through the streets.
The floods cost the local economy an estimated £39million between 2012 and 2017, with almost all the businesses in the town affected.
Scientists predicted that rising sea levels could see the town become a flood zone over the next decades, and the train station could be underwater by 2150.
Angie Aldridge, who works at Looe's Sarah's Cake Shop, said: "We are fortunate that we are up a couple of steps, but when it does flood there are no ways around town, and when the tide goes out again it leaves mud and debris."
Last year the town revealed plans for a new breakwater and tidal barrier to protect the town from the devastating floodwater, but opinion is split amongst locals.
Councillor Rob Hannaford said that local businesses were "very resilient", despite being affected by the flooding, with many even forced to have "pumps in the middle of their property" to help remove the water.
"They can't get flood insurance because insurance companies say it's too risky," he added.
"Nobody there has carpets anymore because of the flooding, they are all tiled. It causes so much disruption to people."
Flooding isn't the only issue to plague the town, however.
The second-hand home market has driven up property prices, making it almost impossible for many locals to get on the property ladder.
Properties were an average price of £326,477 over the last year, with most properties being semi-detached.
“People who lived here and grew up here who are trying to buy a house are finding it a real struggle," said Belle Holtam, 18, who grew up in the town.
"They are having to branch out to other places like Liskeard or Plymouth because prices are through the roof.”
In addition, one in three children in Looe live in poverty, while 48 per cent of households are experiencing some type of deprivation.
Mayor Edwina Hannaford told The Sun: “People see the beautiful backdrops in Beyond Paradise and wouldn’t think child poverty here is in the worst 20 per cent in the country.
“Amongst all the beauty there are people that are really struggling, and it’s not always apparent because it’s hidden amongst the beautiful landscape.
“The show has represented the town beautifully and it makes me really proud to see it looking so gorgeous, but there is acute poverty as well as a lot of wealth, and they live side by side.”
