THE last watch of 2015 went out with a bang at the National Coastwatch Institution Station in Boscastle when the building was struck by lightning at 3.10pm on New Year’s Eve.

The two watchkeepers on duty were fortunately unharmed, apart from some minor abrasions caused by flying fittings, and some serious ringing in the ears.

But the building and equipment did not fare as well. The lightning struck the flagpole, blowing it off the wall and blasting a hole through the stonework and seriously damaging the door frame.

It was the station’s electrical items that suffered the most; the radar set, wind speed indicator, laptop, AIS set, telephone landline, CCTV and one of the three VHF radios, all seem to have been destroyed and the interior decoration has suffered quite badly.

It has not been possible for anyone to get onto the roof as yet to check but it is likely that the wind generator and solar panels, which provide power for the station, will have experienced damage if they have not been destroyed.

Despite the damage, the station is still functioning and will continue to man all the scheduled watches and act as ‘Eyes along the Coast’ with a visual watch backed up by VHF radio and mobile phone links to the Coastguard.