IT HAS been a difficult few weeks for many in South East Cornwall, we’ve battled quite a few storms so far.

We’ve endured incredibly strong winds, relentless rain, and even a bit of snow for some of us in Cornwall. I know that it has been a tough start to the year for many, with homes, businesses, and community spaces damaged.

I’ve been out across our area with local councillors, meeting residents and speaking with authorities. Seeing some of this damage first-hand has been truly shocking. I want to thank all of our incredible emergency services who work day in and day out to keep us safe alongside those working for local councils and utility companies.

Many of you have shared your concerns with me, and I’ve raised these directly with National Grid. They have worked incredibly hard throughout the storms, but I'm aware that we must not be left waiting for power and other services to resume. We can also play our part too by ensuring torches are kept charged and at home. I spoke in Parliament about the challenges vulnerable people faced after Storm Goretti because we cannot allow these mistakes to be repeated. I’m working with organisations and authorities to strengthen our community preparedness. Storms are likely to get more powerful, so we must adapt quickly.

There are also some great community projects that are supporting our area to become more resilient during storms. I recently helped to plant trees with Cornwall Wildlife Trust near Pelynt. As well as providing fresh air and making our local environment more beautiful, trees are also great for flood defences because they slow the water flow and reduce flood risk. I’d like to thank all the volunteers for attending, and especially Merlin and Callum who helped to arrange the event. I’d encourage everyone to get involved where they can. Not only is it good to get out in the wonderful nature around us, but it’s also helping to make our communities more resilient.

Along our coastline, volunteers work hard to remove what they can from local beaches. However, smaller fragments, raw plastic pellets and toxic biobeads that escape from local water treatment plants, mix with the sand and cause huge harm to local wildlife. There are many companies responsible for continuing this horrific damage. In recent months, billions of plastic biobeads have been washing up on southern coastlines. South West Water have been failing to tackle similar issues for a long time. This is the time to focus on cleaning up Cornish waterways rather than prioritising profit. Local people are unable to swim at their local beach due to sewage and I will continue working hard to hold South West Water to account.

This storm season has been particularly challenging so far, but it has also shown the strength and spirit of our communities. We must learn lessons, so I'll continue demanding solutions that help us future-proof South East Cornwall from future flooding events.