These images show how some of Britain's beaches have been battered by last year's storms [SWNS]

Experts say that Cornwall - which is well-known for its stunning sandy areas - was one of the worst hit regions in the UK and it is estimated that some of its beaches lost millions of tonnes of sand.

These pictures of Fistral in Newquay - a world famous spot for surfing - show the once golden beach looking washed out and unloved thanks to the ferocious winds and torrential rain that visited it last winter.

Its miles of luscious sand has been stripped away and now in its place lies millions of stones and slippery green seaweed.

It is estimated that the beach lost 125.37 cubic metres of sand per metre of beach - the equivalent of half a billion bags of sugar.

Fistral is regarded as a popular holiday hotspot - hosting regular international surfing competitions and even appearing in the 1990 film The Witches.

But now officials fear that it could take years for the sand - now stuck offshore in mountainous sandbanks and bars - to return to the once glorious beach.

A before and after shot of Fistral beach [SWNS]

After last winter's storms it might take another four years for the beaches to recover

Gerd Masselink, a professor of coastal geomorphology from Plymouth University

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Sun, sea and SLIME: How severe storms have destroyed Britain's best beaches