Those living along the South Hams coastline are being warned that the sea level is rising at the fastest rate in 120 years and global warming here is more than the global average.

The warning comes from the Met Office in their State of the UK Climate study for 2021 published in the International Journal of Climatology.

They say climate change is not just a problem for the future but is already influencing the conditions we experience here.

It was found sea levels have risen 16.5cm (6.5in) since 1990 which is around 3mm to 5.2mm a year compared with 1.55mm early last century.

This exposes the coast to larger and more frequent storm surges and wind-driven wave impacts according to the Met Office.

Ice loss from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, continued glacier mass loss and warming of the ocean are behind the rise in levels.

A heatwave saw the UK’s highest ever recorded temperature of 40.3C (104F) at Coningsby in Lincolnshire on July 20.