PICTURES: Suspected tornado leaves trail of destruction through village
A TRAIL of destruction has been left in Barton by a suspected tornado which swept through early this morning (Friday).
The twister touched down near to Sea Road, the A&T understands, and passed through the area, causing damage to property as it went. There were further reports of damage in New Milton as it carried on inland.
Fences and sheds were blown down, tiles ripped from roofs, and a conservatory had a window torn off by the force of the winds.
Betty Holt, who lives in Sea Road, told the A&T: “It was very strong and then it really gusted and I heard it go whoosh. My bedroom window was shut but it was strong enough to blow a vase off my window sill.
“My son came in and said, ‘Mum, that was tornado’.
“I don’t think my roof has been damaged but you can see that a lot other people have been affected by it.”
Sarah de Candol, who lives nearby, said she heard the tornado and most of her electric went off as it passed over.
Another resident of Sea Road, who asked not to be named, said he was awoken just after 4am.
“The wind was very strong and I thought it was going to blow my window in. Then I heard a crash from outside and when I went down I saw that part of the roof of conservatory had been ripped off,” he told the A&T.
Another eyewitness claiming to have been disturbed by the terrifying phenomenon at it passed by posted the news on Facebook at about 4.30am.
He said: “Just been woken up by a massive crashing noise, bedroom windows cracked and almost blown in. All garden fence panels have been blown away and smashed.
“I've been out in the garden with a torch but can't see well enough to see full extent of the damage, but it has blown down a long six foot high brick wall two gardens down.
“There is a clear line of destruction from the direction of the sea heading inland.”
He added: “Very scary indeed and very real threat, we are shaken but unharmed and we hope no one else has been hurt.”
Barton has born the brunt of the wild conditions recently with the remnants of Storm Brandan that passed through on Monday and Tuesday helping to cause landslips at several points along the clifftop that runs to Milford.
As reported in the A&T, New Forest District Council has issued safety warnings for walkers to keep away from the affected areas.