'We've lost everything': Torquay watersports business swept away as Storm Babet hits South West

The owner of a watersports business in Devon has said he has "lost everything" after a container he used to store equipment was washed out to sea during Storm Babet.

Sean White, owner of Soak Lifestyle at Abbey Sands Beach in Torquay, said his shipping container full of watersports equipment was swept out to sea on Tuesday 17 October due to high tides caused by Storm Babet.

He added that the shipping container used to store the beach bar hut was "bashed like a washing machine" during the storms.

In a video posted on Wednesday 18 October, Mr White said: "Sadly, last night, we completely lost our business to the storm. One of our shipping containers — the watersports one — ended up in the ocean and the other one has been bashed like a washing machine.

"We've lost everything, and that's totally devastating and we're lacking words amongst all the emotion right now," he added.

Despite the warnings issued ahead of Storm Babet, Mr White said he did not expect to see a storm surge on the beach.

"We were down there in the morning, watching the forecast and two days before just feeling it and watching it all play out and we genuinely thought we were going to be ok, and we weren't," he said.

Mr White added that watching his business wash away was "one of the most devastating nights of his life".

He put out an urgent appeal to crane operators at around 10pm on Tuesday evening, calling on them to help him retrieve the shipping containers.

While most of the containers were lost, South West Crane Hire answered the call and helped move the coffee hut container up onto the pavement so it didn't wash away.

"South West Crane Hire came and lifted the coffee box up onto the pavement. They were so amazing, really compassionate," Mr White said. "We're just so grateful that they managed to stop that container from going into the water because that would've been a whole different ballgame."

He added: "We just wanted to thank all those who have been supporting us so far. Last night we managed to do a huge beach clean and collect all the debris and all of the plastic, everything that was strewn from the containers."

The containers were first installed in 2021 when the business was known as Wesup, which closed in December 2022 due to rising costs.

It reopened five months ago under the new name Soak, and Mr White said they will come back "fighting" again.

He said: "We've literally just got back on our feet and rebuilt our lives and that's the kind of thing that's a little bit brutal today.

"I'm really hopeful that we can get some sleep, recoup our energy and come up with a fighting plan to get ourselves back down and serving the community that we love," he added.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by one of Mr White's friends to help rebuild the business.

Torbay Council says it's working closely with other local authorities including the HM Coastguard to respond to any issues still being caused by the storm.

"Harbours team have been supporting the owners of Soak Beach Bar in Torquay – unfortunately the two containers owned by Soak washed away in the storms overnight, the containers have been retrieved from the sea and most of the debris from the containers has been collected", a spokesperson said.

"A crane was due to be moving the containers at 3pm today.

“We will continue to respond to issues as and when they come in but in the meantime we would urge everyone to stay safe, check on any elderly or vulnerable friends, family or neighbours, avoid driving if you possibly can, and also to report any issues such to us either by calling 01803 701310 or via our website.”

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