60 seconds of terror as tornado tears through seaside resort

SOME thought they were under attack. Others swore they could hear a freight train hurtling along the road or a plane about to crash. But it was a mini tornado that terrorised a seaside resort.

A tornado ripped through Hayling Island. Picture: 5k1nnyt1g3r, Flickr

SOME thought they were under attack. Others swore they could hear a freight train hurtling along the road or a plane about to crash.

All were agreed, however, that the mini tornado that stormed through their seaside community was one of the most terrifying things they had ever experienced.

Over 60 heart-stopping seconds, a 'giant grey wall of wind' tore along streets, uprooting trees, smashing down fences and ripping apart roofs.

Boats were tossed about in the air, garden sheds obliterated and beach huts and caravans wrecked. By the time it was all over - just before 8am yesterday - 100 homes had been damaged in Hayling Island, near Portsmouth.

It came as forecasters warned of heavy rain and unsettled weather across much of the country for the next few weeks.

Residents on Hayling said 50mph winds left streets looking like bomb sites strewn with debris from broken fences, damaged cars and fallen walls. Annette Blake, 56, described hearing a 'terrifying roar' as the fierce winds rushed in.

She said: 'I was in sheer blind panic and total shock. It was as if someone was throwing fence panels like a frisbee.

"I heard the roof tiles coming down and hitting the floor and saw a kayak from two doors down come flying over the fence and land in our pond. It all happened so quickly and the next thing you know there is a rainbow. But everything is demolished.

"The worst thing about it is that after 17 years we had almost finished the garden. We will have to start again now." Neighbour Debbie Hayman said she thought the island was under attack when she heard an 'almighty bang' during the tornado. She said: "I thought a plane was crashing on top of us. You just don't know but I really thought something awful had hit us.

"This was quite devastating to see it happen in front of our eyes. You panic as the noise is so frightening.' Her husband, Tony, 61 added: 'The trees looked like they were literally being torn out of the ground by the force of the wind.

"A metal pole my wife uses for the washing line was ripped out of the ground and then span around and around the garden like it was in a washing machine, before being dropped to the ground.

"Then I heard an almighty bang. I went and looked outside and discovered our caravan had been blown over and smashed into a neighbour's tree. My shed was completely gone and my motorbike was also damaged.' Mr Hayman said he believed the tornado had caused around Pound6,000 of damage to his belongings.

He said: It is lucky it happened so early on a Sunday morning because nobody was up and about.

"It could have been a lot worse if it had happened later in the day." Cheryl Hart described the tornado as sounding like 'a freight train hurtling along the road'.

"You could actually see it. It's difficult to describe but it was like a big grey wall of wind." Paul Knightley, forecast manager for Meteogroup, said: "The conditions were favourable for a tornado.

"There is an unstable atmosphere, it is fairly warm for this time of year and there is a lot of moisture in the air." Storms caused localised flooding across the country. Flash floods brought chaos to Cardiff following prolonged heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Many shops were forced to close after water seeped in through doors.

The Met Office said the wet weather would continue for the next three or four weeks, with above average rainfall expected in many parts. The West and North of England were likely to be worst affected.