Reacting to early reports of flooding problems, weekly newspaper reporters from across Cornwall joined their colleagues from the dailies and scrambled to get to the scene.

Staff at the Cornish Guardian cleared pages to run an eight-page insert of flood pictures and the rescue efforts, and created a wrap-around of an aerial shot of the floods – a first for the paper.

It distributed 6,000 extra copies of the paper to the North Cornwall area.

And the Bodmin-based Guardian’s website, thisiscornwall, enabled the paper to provide up-to-date coverage showing pictures from the scene.

Then, as if the Guardian’s reporters weren’t stretched enough, a rumour that Prince Charles would be visiting Boscastle added yet another twist. Racing to the village – photographer in tow – deputy chief reporter Richard Whitehouse filed a story from the scene, the picture wired from a laptop.

The Launceston-based Cornish & Devon Post was also at the scene.

Managing editor Geoff Seccombe said: “The floods were a complete surprise.

“It happened on Monday afternoon and our deadline is Tuesday at 6pm. Time was of the essence, as we only have a small editorial department and of those, one was off sick and the other on holiday. That left only four people to get the story together!

“A lady rescued at a nearby village Crackington Haven refused to be interviewed by a [national newspaper] reporter, preferring instead to contact the Devon & Cornish Post to give her account.”

Many of the papers have since reported that they have been supplied with photographs and reports from their readers.

He added: “Boscastle and the surrounding areas have shown a tremendous community spirit – this is a great example of the community pulling together.”

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