Tornadoes hit parts of UK

Tornadoes hit southern and central parts of the country today, the Met Office said.

A violent storm hit Luton at 7.30am, ripping through gardens and tearing tiles off rooves.

Twenty homes were hit by a tornado in Farnborough, Hampshire, at around 8am, pulling a roof off a garage and uprooting trees, the fire service said.

Tornadoes were also reported in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and in Northampton.

A spokesman for the Met Office said weather conditions conducive to tornadoes were travelling across the country.

A Hampshire Police spokeswoman said that up to 10 houses were damaged, including some with severe structural damage when the tornado struck in Farnborough.

She said the houses that were damaged were in Rother Road but there were no injuries.

She also said that a tree crashed into a bus shelter in Fernhill Road and a telegraph pole fell down in the same area.

The fire service and the local council were at the scene assessing the situation.

A tornado hit Northampton just before 7am, uprooting several trees and causing rush hour chaos, the Northampton Chronicle and Echo reported.

One tree hit an empty school bus, ripping off part of its roof, according to the paper.

Andy Cooper, of the Cherry Lodge area of Northampton, told the newspaper: "I was lying in bed at 6.55am. The house and bed shook and rumbled for about 10 seconds.

"I jumped out of bed, looked out of the window and pressed my hands against it to feel the glass moving in and out, which alarmed me because it was new double glazing fitted recently."

A spokesman for Hampshire Fire Service said the tornado hit homes on Rother Road, Cove.

"There are no reports of any injuries. We have three fire crews up there assessing damage," he said.

He said the storm uprooted trees, pulled the roof off a garage and dislodged chimney stacks.