Dust devil seen picking up hay and debris in field

Dust devils occur when hot surface temperatures cause air to spiral upwards from the ground

A man has described being transfixed by a dust devil, a weather phenomenon which resembles a mini tornado.

Richard Turnell, 46, from Tiddington, in Warwickshire, was on a lunchtime walk with colleagues when he saw the spiralling hay on a field on the edge of the village.

"I’d seen the film Twister last week, and thought this was too coincidental," he said.

Mr Turnell said it lasted for about 30-40 seconds before petering out.

"It was great to see, I’m glad I got it on video," he added.

A dust devil is an upward spiralling vortex of air that can vary in height from a few feet to over 1,000ft according to the Met Office.

They are usually several metres in diameter at the base, and mainly occur where the ground is dry and high surface temperatures produce strong updrafts.

Unlike tornadoes, dust devils grow upwards from the ground, rather than down from clouds.

The Met Office adds that they only last a few minutes because cooler air is sucked into the base of the rising vortex, cooling the ground and cutting off its heat supply.