Reliving the Tornado which hit Hampshire (From Daily Echo)

Reliving the Tornado which hit Hampshire

4:05pm Thursday 5th November 2009 in

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A HAMPSHIRE man has relived the devastation left in the wake of the tornado that cut a destructive path across Hampshire.

Stuart Thorpe of Woodley Close in Romsey was in West Wellow when the twister struck.

He said: “When I drove up Woodley Close I spotted the huge tree which had crashed down on three garages including mine.

“A bough went straight through the roof of my neighbour’s garage just missing his Kawasaki motorbike.”

The 58-year-old contract cleaner added: “ A Ford Escort, a Peugeot 306 and a Vauxhall Corsa were written off.

“If anyone had been in the compound when it happened they would not have stood a chance.

“I was more than shocked when I saw what had happened. I could not see the garages for tree branches. The tree was completely uprooted and it was a good 60 feet tall.

“Other trees nearby appear to be untouched. If the tree had gone over the other way it would have gone straight through the roofs of houses.”

Areas around Romsey, Eastleigh, Winchester and Petersfield bore the brunt of the twister that was spawned over the New Forest and took about 90 minutes to reach the other side of the county.

Timsbury, Belbins, Greatbridge and Woodley were the worst hit in the Romsey area with greenhouses smashed to pieces by horrendous winds and a number of cars wrecked by fallen trees.

A huge marquee at the Malthouse Inn at Timsbury was ripped from the ground and dumped nearby at the height of the tornado.

And at Owslebury near Winchester one eyewitness described the hair-raiser phenomena as a “vicious” whirlwind.