Six hurt as tornado hits London

Six people were injured and up to 150 houses were damaged when a tornado swept through several London streets leaving a trail of destruction.

Rooftops were ripped off and cars were badly damaged as the twister hit the Kensal Rise area of north-west London. One man suffered a serious head injury and five have been treated for minor injuries and shock.

Fire services have sealed six roads in a zone covering a quarter of a square mile and searched 100 properties. Fire crews were called at about 1100 GMT on Thursday to Chamberlayne Road and surrounding streets, amid reports of collapsed scaffolding and damage to buildings.

Witnesses said there was heavy rain and sleet, then debris flying through the air.
Resident Colin Brewer said: "It was really, really incredible. All of a sudden I saw a swirl starting to form and then, it was amazing, but it then touched land.
"I then saw clumps of all sorts of things flying into air. It went from exciting to terrifying."
He reported seeing trees ripped up from the roots, front doors missing, windows smashed and people being hit on the head by flying objects.

The UK experiences an estimated 50 tornadoes on land each year, putting it top of the European twister league. The BBC Weather Centre said the tornado lasted less than one minute.
"To see a tornado is not that unusual - but the magnitude of the damage due to the one in north-west London is," said BBC meteorologist Susan Powell.
She said the tornado formed due to a lot of energy in the air across the UK, producing widespread heavy thunderstorms with gusty winds.
Read more of the BBC story here.