THE final day of the Royal Cornwall Show was cancelled after fierce overnight winds battered the showground – leaving devastated traders facing losses running into tens of thousands of pounds.

Organisers pulled the plug on Saturday’s event, the busiest day of the show, after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning forecasting gusts of up to 50mph across Cornwall.

The decision, announced with “great regret”, came after what officials described as a “thorough assessment” of worsening conditions and damage to temporary structures across the site.

An official statement read: “It is with great regret that following a thorough assessment of forecast weather conditions and their impact on the showground, the difficult decision has been taken to cancel the final day of the Royal Cornwall Show.

“The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, exhibitors, competitors, members, staff, volunteers and contractors have been central to this decision and remains our highest priority.

“We recognise how disappointing this news will be for everyone involved, particularly those who had planned to attend, exhibit or compete, and we would like to thank all our stakeholders for their patience, understanding and support.

“Further information for ticket holders, exhibitors, competitors, members and other stakeholders will be communicated as soon as possible through the Royal Cornwall Show’s official channels.”

The cancellation brought an abrupt end to one of Cornwall’s biggest annual events and sparked a financial nightmare for traders who depend on the show’s bumper Saturday crowds.

Known by stallholders as “Super Saturday”, the final day is traditionally when businesses make the bulk of their profits. Instead, many were left staring at huge losses and mountains of unsold stock.

Kate Martin from Treway Farm, near St Austell, said her business was facing losses of between £10,000 and £15,000 after preparing food and produce for the weekend rush.

“First and foremost, it was absolute disappointment,” she said. “It’s disappointing for people attending, but there’s also the colossal financial impact to businesses.

“Usually, it’s Saturday lunchtime before we even start making a profit. Right now, we haven’t broken even from two days of trade. We’re now into the realms of damage limitation.”

Bernie Williams of Cornish Cracking Eggs in Camborne, estimated her losses at between £4,000 and £5,000 after producing large amounts of extra stock for the show.

It was a similar story for many other traders, including Sally Lugg from Primrose Herd Butchery in Truro, who said her business had lost “at least £10,000”.

“I think I was in shock, to be honest, like most people, very shocked at the decision and as the day went on, we just had to try and mitigate some of the losses that sadly all of us have had to encounter,” she said.

The Eden Project stepped in to support affected visitors and traders. The attraction near St Austell offered emergency trading opportunities on Saturday, giving businesses a chance to recover some lost income.

In addition, anyone presenting a valid show ticket were able to receive a one-off 50 per discount on entry.