"Freak mini tornado hits Bedworth street forcing homes to be evacuated"

[dutchman]

Severe flooding also affected homes in Nuneaton



A mini tornado hit a Bedworth street forcing householders to be evacuated.

Bedworth's Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) crews were called out to the aftermath of the tornado which swept along parts of Hill Street last night (July 4).

There were reports of some structural damage to a home that fire crews had to make safe.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council housing officers jumped into action to provide emergency accommodation for those who could not stay in their homes.

Council housing officers were also needed in Nuneaton too, in Camp Hill, as some householders there were also hit by the torrential downpour of rain at around 7.30pm last night.

They spent several hours putting out sandbags at a number of properties in the area.

Nuneaton firefighters also responded to 999 calls in St Paul's Road, Westbury Road and in Blair Drive in Bedworth as the sheer volume of rain left some residents unable to leave their homes.

The deluge only fell for a short period last night but it left rain water racing on roads across the borough, some of which could not cope.

Parts of Croft Road, near to the row of shops close to the junction with Marsdale Drive, were completely submerged.

The bottom of Haunchwood Road close to the junction with Whittleford Road, Kingswood Road and Church Road, was also flooded.

Water also completely engulfed Queens Road, close to its junction with Cash Converters.

In Galley Common, a drain lid lifted due to the sheer pressure of the rain.

There was a similar incident over in Bedworth as the force of the downpour forced a drain lid to lift on Bulkington Road close to the Travellers Rest pub.

The clean-up operation in the aftermath of the rain is set to continue today.

[dutchman]

Devastated residents count the cost of damage after mini 'tornado ball' rips through Bedworth street



A devastated resident has spoken out about the mini tornado 'ball' which tore through a Bedworth street.

Aimee Cotton said she witnessed the tornado 'ball' whip through her back garden in Hill Street, flinging her children's trampoline into the awning at the back of her home.

Her garden furniture was also picked up in the tornado and thrown onto the floor, smashing it into pieces.

"It was like a ball (the tornado) I can’t explain it, the noise was like a boom," the mum-of-two said.

"The noise was horrendous. We have had storms here before but nothing like this, I have never seen anything like it."

She said she heard the noise, looked out of the window and saw the trampoline mangled into her awning.

Then the mini tornado 'ball' moved from her garden into the street.

"It came through my garden and then caused havoc on the street," the mum of two said.

It flung ridge roof tiles from other properties onto the street

"How they (the tiles) didn’t hit a car, I don’t know," she said.

"It would have 100 per cent killed someone if it had hit them."

Now the upset mum of two has been left counting the costs of the damage and fears that her insurance will not cover the damage caused to her damaged garden equipment.

Hers is not the only home in the street to have suffered damage, with several homes with holes left in the roof tops where tiles have flung off.

Council officials are due to visit the street again today.

[rebbonk]

Tornadoes are actually quite common in the UK. I really wish the local rag would stop sensationalising the normal.

[dutchman]

Drains could not cope with flash flooding in Nuneaton and Bedworth admits council



Drains could not cope with the flash flooding that engulfed streets and roads across Nuneaton and Bedworth.

That is according to Warwickshire County Council, which is responsible for highways.

Some households were left with rain water blocking their doorsteps, while several roads across the borough were submerged in water following the torrential downpour on Sunday night (July 4).

In some areas, the sheer volume of water lifted drain lids into the air.

CoventryLive contacted the county council to see if any action would be taken in the event of a repeat of the scenes on Sunday.

"The drain gullies in the areas affected by flash flooding over the weekend were very recently cleansed by County Highways and were functioning as they should be," a Shire Hall spokesman said.

"The intensity of the rain experienced over a short period of time was greater than the gullies are designed for, which caused the issues.

"Over the weekend our call-out team attended a number of sites in Nuneaton to assess the situation, and we are arranging follow up inspections today and tomorrow."