Dramatic footage shows twister above the skies of Essex

The twister was spotted near Saffron Walden. Credit: Simon Baker

Dramatic footage of a twister has been captured above the skies of Essex this evening.

The video was taken by ITV News Anglia viewer Simon Baker at Newport near Saffron Walden at around 5pm on Friday 29 July 2016.

A funnel cloud is the start of a tornado, but it only becomes a full-blown tornado if it touches the ground.

The cloud usually develops at the base of a thunderstorm cloud.

Mr Baker described it as "one of the most amazing things he'd even seen."

A funnel cloud spotted over Saffron Walden in Essex at 5.10pm on Friday 29 July 2016. Credit: Jade Hare

Funnel clouds were also reported in parts of Cambridgeshire.

A funnel cloud forms near the Imperial War Museum at Duxford in Cambridgeshire on Friday afternoon. Credit: Steve Buckley
A funnel cloud forms near Duxford in Cambridgeshire on Friday afternoon. Credit: Ralph Grindling