Mini Tornadoes Reported in Sutton, Southwest London

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Article and pictures from Sutton Guardian (local paper)
Written by Mike Pyle, Chief Reporter

‘Mini-tornadoes’ wreak havoc in Sutton

The tornadoes leaving Sutton (Picture: Sarah Howlett)

Eyewitnesses reported seeing ‘mini-tornadoes’ as a sudden storm lashed the area on Saturday.

The freak storm hit shortly before 5pm and was so fierce people reported seeing mini tornadoes tearing through the area damaging trees, billboards and even blowing down a wall.

This tree fell down in Pound Street, Carshalton (Picture: Goff Daft)

Firefighters and police had to be called to several incidents around the area as the storm ripped down a tree in Pound Street, Carshalton.

It also damaged a billboard and blew down a wall at the northern end of Sutton High Street and blew down trees in Stafford Road, Wallington, with one falling on top of a car.

Damaged billboard in Sutton (Picutre: Richard Martinez)

Sutton woman Sarah Howlett said: "It left trees down and a huge billboard at the bottom of St Nicholas way destroyed, collapsed and strewn all over the road.

“The fire brigade were quickly on scene and sealed off the area.

“The doors at the top of the St Nicholas car park were being blown open by the force of the wind and the floor was quickly awash.

A tree landed on a car in Satfford Road, Wallington (Picture: Jack Byles)

“The amount of debris on the roads was huge, and driving home we had to avoid wheelie bins that had been blown out of people’s drives into the street and large pieces of wood from various hoardings.”

The weather also caused disruption to train services and patches of localised flooding although it is no-one is believed to have been hurt.