We are devastated at this tragic incident and the death of one of our guests. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends and we offer them our sincere condolences on their loss.

As a family-owned business and one of Cornwall's largest companies we take very seriously our responsibilities and the safety of our guests and staff is our top priority. Earlier this year the British Safety Council gave the business the highest five-star safety award.

We also continually invest to modernise and upgrade our properties right across our 170-strong estate, including at the Great Western Hotel which reopened six weeks ago after a major £1.1 million, five-month refurbishment.

Our focus now is to work alongside the police and environmental health officers, to assist them with their investigations, so that we can understand what has happened and for that information to be provided to the guest's family.

Any decision on reopening the hotel will be taken in conjunction with the authorities. In the meantime we are working with other accommodation providers in Newquay to make alternative arrangements for guests with bookings and we are grateful for their support and understanding .

As this tragic incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this stage.

James Staughton

Managing Director, St Austell Brewery