Trees brought down by high winds

Trees fell on top of cars in Romsey (picture taken by Stuart Thorpe)

A tornado is suspected to have brought down trees which damaged cars and the roofs of homes in Hampshire.

Hampshire police said it received 25 reports of damage caused by trees in the New Forest, Romsey and rural areas around Winchester on Tuesday.

A Met Office spokesman said: "The strong localised winds could have been up to 100mph and evidence suggests it may have been a tornado."

The conditions led to calls for drivers to take care on tree-lined roads.

The Met Office spokesman added: "For winds like that you need a showery day.

"Big tall showers are the main ingredient and winds changing direction with height to get that rotational movement."

A Hampshire Constabulary spokeswoman said: "The calls began at 12.04pm.

"One of the more serious incidents was where a couple just managed to get out of their home in Warren Road in Liss, when four trees fell on their house."