Huge waves from Storm Eleanor crashed over the harbour wall in St Ives in Cornwall early on Wednesday morning, flooding a local art gallery.
A video showed the double doors of the Porthminster Gallery had been burst open by the force of the water, with some of them off their hinges.
A large volume of sea water was filmed flowing into the property.
According to the filmer, police have been unable to contact the key-holder of the gallery.
The harbour road and several side streets have been cordoned off by police, according to the filmer.
