Tornadoes spotted off Welsh coast

This tornado was seen off the north Wales coast

People living along the coasts of north and south Wales have been experiencing freakish Bank Holiday weather as two tornadoes have been sighted.

Residents of Llantwit Major in south Wales and the Aberconwy area in north Wales reported seeing the twisters travelling along the coast early on Monday.

The tornado in north west Wales was described as being more than 70 feet high.

Churning

People living in Moelfre on the east coast of Anglesey tracked its progress along the coastline shortly after 1000 BST.

Andrew Davies from Penmaenmawr in north Wales said he saw the tornado travelling from the sea off the uninhabited Puffin Island, churning up the water as it made its way inland.

The tornado came to a halt over the Great Orme in Llandudno, remaining there for around 15 minutes before it disappeared.

In south Wales, Ronald Jenkins, from Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan said he was in his bedroom when the sky darkened and he saw the twister pass by several miles away along the coast.

Damage

And Tony Allen, also from Llantwit Major, said he saw the tornado at about 1000 BST heading from the Bristol Channel.

It was travelling quickly, but did not appear to be causing any damage.

Earlier this month a mini tornado was spotted at Littlehaven in Pembrokeshire.

Peter Stewart, national senior forecaster with the Met Office, said mini tornadoes in Britain are nothing like as powerful as the tornadoes in the USA.

He said they were more common in summer because of the "vigorous cloud and vigorous heating" that occurs.

Freak

They usually cause very minor damage, though occasionally a caravan may be turned over.

It is the second time freak weather conditions have hit Wales in a week.

Last Monday parts of north Wales were hit by heavy hailstorms, which fell as snow, and heavy rainfalls.

Homes and shops in north Wales were flooded and roads were closed following these unusual August weather conditions.

Two bridges collapsed and some people were trapped in their homes after heavy rain and hail fell within an hour.