A mini-whirlwind wrecked a garage and tore tiles from roofs as it swept through a street in Essex, as heavy rain hit areas across East Anglia.

Fire crews were called to deal with the damage caused by the whirlwind which struck at the village of Kirby Cross, near Frinton, on Tuesday afternoon.

Robert Else, a resident in Bemerton Gardens, said:" It all happened so quickly as I was watching the rain hammering down.

"It must have been a very narrow band because it left the bird table standing.

Freak damage

" It tore tiles from roofs, some landed on top of the conservatory. It swept up flower pots .

"Everybody has experienced some sort of damage.

"There was a garage door outside. Goodness knows where that came from."

The freak damage came as fire crews were called out to deal with other storm and flood problems across East Anglia.

The Environment Agency has said heavy rainfall may lead to flooding in areas of Beachampton, Calverton and Leckhampstead in Buckinghamshire, and also Deanshanger and Pottersbury in Cambridgeshire

A Flood Watch is now in force in these areas until further notice.