Freak Aldershot tornado terrifies families - 'everything lifted off the floor'

Terrified resident Louise Le Poidevin said everything was lifted off the ground during the tornado which left a trail of destruction in the Hampshire town

A huge tree lies across the ruins of a garage after being uprooted by a freak tornado.

The twister left a trail of damage in less than a minute, toppling chimneys, tearing off tiles and trashing garden fences.

Louise Le Poidevin, who spotted its distinctive spiral shape in Aldershot, Hants, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it and I’m quite a weather watcher.

“The thunder started and the rain, it was torrential. The trees were bent over. It was freaking us out – everything was lifted off the ground, the leaves were in a big spiral, then a gazebo came flying over next door.”

Louise, who runs a grounds maintenance business, added: “The noise was terrifying, I thought the doors and windows would come in. Then as soon as it started, 30, 40, 50 seconds later, it had gone.”

The Storm Research Organisation rated Friday’s “mild to moderate” tornado between one and two out of 10.

Today heavy showers and thunderstorms swept the country, with Cornwall suffering the most.

A yellow rain alert will continue until at least tomorrow night, with up to 8cm of rain likely in places as it moves both to the east and northwards.