Unusual weather phenomenon caught on camera ripping up roofs in Gosport

Peter Jones told ITV Meridian's Kara Digby he couldn't believe what he saw.

Roofs in Gosport have been damaged by an unusual weather phenomenon, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.It was a calm and sunny Saturday afternoon, then suddenly, out of the blue, there was a change in the weather.

Tiles were ripped off of Peter Jones's home in Rowner in a matter of seconds. Peter Jones was home alone - his wife Linda out shopping - when the dust devil hit."I came running out and all I could see was the big french window rattling - the curtains right up in the air - I was expecting them to break," said Peter.

"The flower pot we had inside fell off the table. I went to look outside and all I could hear was crash, bang, crash, bang, and then the wind stopped."

"When I looked up, I just couldn't believe what I saw."

Their home wasn't the only one damaged - with the whirlwind impacting two of their neighbours."All the garden furniture was moved and I couldn't work out what was going on. I was frightened - very very frightened - because I couldn't see anything," said Katherine.

"And then I came outside and there were roof tiles everywhere, all over the ground, affecting my neighbours one side and the other side."Dust devils can occur on calm, dry days - like recently here in Marchwood.High surface temperatures cause the air to rise rapidly, creating a rotating column.They grow upwards from the ground and in general - are nowhere near as destructive as a tornado.

ITV Meridian meteorologist Philippa Drew says it's unusual for one to cause such damage."We do see a fair few dust devils here in the UK but they're generally small, short-lived and any ill effects are usually very much at ground level and damage is usually limited,"

"To have your roof tiles lifted away, even on a bungalow is pretty unlucky."Peter and Linda will soon find out if their home insurance will cover the cost of fixing ALL of the damage. If not - it could leave them out of pocket.

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