The toilet at the recreation ground in Boarhunt was ripped apart

The freak winds, in Boarhunt, caused thousands of pounds worth of damage by flattening sheds, uprooting trees, and bringing down power lines.

Firefighter Paul Crouch, who attended the scene, said the tornado had left a 33-yard (30m) trail of devastation.

Luckily, nobody was hurt in the three minutes it took for the tornado to sweep through the village.

Paul Collins, 54, who owns three ponies he keeps in a paddock at Boarhunt, said he was taking shelter from the storm when his truck moved 25ft (8m) as the tornado struck and he saw his animals take off.

We have more tornados than any other country in the world Georgie Palmer, BBC weather presenter

He said: "I could see everything just going round and round. There were sheds, there were pieces of metal.

"All of a sudden the three ponies I've got in that paddock started to run round and [the storm] picked two of them up, literally 10 to 12 feet up and just threw them."

Resident Donald Stubbington, said a tree was pulled up by the roots and moved from his neighbour's garden and into his, during the brief storm on Saturday.

Lindsey Pink lost her garage and her prized collection of salvia plants.

She said: "It's just devastating, isn't it, but you shed a few tears and get on with it. Nobody was hurt, I can't believe nobody was hurt.

'Perfect atmosphere'

Georgie Palmer, BBC South Today's weather presenter, explained said that while the damage they cause is perhaps uncommon, tornadoes happen regularly in the UK.

"What happened was a combination of the thunder storm, the warm waters and the sea that haven't cooled down yet from the summer and a very active atmosphere and the low pressure.

"All those things mixed together created a perfect atmosphere for a tornado."