Swanley 'mini tornado' rips through Beech Avenue (From News Shopper)

Swanley 'mini tornado' rips through Beech Avenue

2:35pm Thursday 13th September 2012 in News By Tim MacFarlan, Bexley and north Kent reporter

REPORTS have emerged of a mini tornado in Swanley last night. 

The tiny twister is said to have struck Beech Avenue at around 8.45pm sending roof tiles flying, warping a TV aerial and causing a garden wall to collapse on a resident's car.

Concerned neighbours rang News Shopper today after the freak event, which they say was over in a matter of minutes but left behind a small trail of destruction. 

Anne Street, 56, said: "There was a terrific wooshing sound down the chimney. 

"I didn't think it was that bad but in the morning I woke and saw all the damage." 

While Mrs Street's home escaped largely unscathed, the housewife rang neighbour Rose Blake, 87, at 6.30am to alert her to the state of the pensioner's garden, which was filled with tiles from the roof of the semi-detached house next door.

Mrs Blake said: "I only thought it was thunder but it must have been a mini tornado. My front garden was like confetti."

An elderly resident of nearby Oakleigh Close, who does wish to be named, got in touch to say how "scary" but "exciting" the "surreal experience" was.  

He said: "Around 8.45pm there was the most astonishingly loud roar, it felt like the windows were going to be sucked out.

"I looked out to see clouds of leaves going past horizontally, so so fast, past the window.

"There was a moment of disbelief then realisation at what was happening.

The pensioner said it was all over "within a blink" and he was lucky there was no damage to his home.  

He added: "It must have been tremendous with Beech Avenue getting the full force."

Do you know anything about a tornado in Swanley last night? Contact  tim.macfarlan@london.newsquest.co.uk , ring 01689 885702 or tweet @NewsShopperTim