TRURO railway station has been closed after torrential rain caused the roof to cave in above the ticket office on Thursday morning.

A spokesperson from First Great Western confirmed that the building would be closed until at least Monday and parts of the roof would have to be pulled down before it is repaired.

Passengers can only buy daily tickets in cash from a machine on platform two; all advance tickets and payments by card are unavailable.

Part of an isolation ward at Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske was also closed on Thursday morning after water seeped through the flat roof and drenched ceiling tiles, forcing them to be removed.

Nearly half of July's average rainfall fell in one hour on Thursday morning, turning drains into whirlpools and forcing manhole covers to 'pop off', flooding shops and businesses in the city centre.

Two shops on Victoria Square were forced to close until Friday lunchtime after a foot of water washed into their premises, causing hundreds of pounds of damage to stock and the shop fittings.

One trader, Stacey Tyack, said the water flowed into her café Coffee Traders on Victoria Square like a tidal wave as buses drove through the pools.

For the full story and photographs on the flooding see next week's West Briton.