September 28, 2021 9.34 am This story is over 30 months old

Community unites after ‘mini tornado’ rips through Humberston street

There was no warning of the freak storm

Neighbours in Humberston have come together to clean up the wreckage left by what they described as a miniature tornado.

Homes on Coniston Crescent, Buttermere Crescent and Derwent Drive were damaged and a three tonne motorhome was thrown into a startled home worker’s driveway during the freak storm on the morning of Monday, September 27.

In just a few seconds, high winds smashed windows, ripped at roofs and broke apart garden walls and furniture.

Severe damage was caused in just a few seconds | Photo: BBC News Hub

People living in the area told BBC reporters they had had no warning of the weather anomaly, and couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

Bob Salt said: “There were bins flying all over the place. It was a right mess.

“It was like a war zone. It was like an explosion.

“You wouldn’t think, in Humberston, that wind could blow a three tonne campervan into the next-door-neighbours’.

Andrew Saunders, who had been working in his front room when the camper was thrown into his drive, said: “I sat looking out of my window. The rain and the wind came, it literally lifted it up, dragged it across and it came down in front of the drive.  Shocking!”

People instantly came together to help repair the damages. | Photo: BBC News Hub

The vehicle also took out a nearby power line, leaving the area without WiFi.

Quick to act, many local people helped to find skips and remove the wreckage. Many scaled the roofs of nearby homes to collect salvageable building materials.