Funnel clouds spotted in Devon and Cornwall

A funnel cloud was visible in St Austell, Cornwall

Funnel clouds forming over Devon and Cornwall have been captured on camera.

The weather phenomenon was spotted near St Austell on Monday evening and at Dartmoor near Ivybridge on Saturday.

Funnel clouds are cone-shaped formations that appear to dangle from a larger cloud above.

They are formed in the same way as a tornado, the Met Office said.

A funnel cloud was also spotted over the Western Beacon on Dartmoor from Ivybridge

The weather office said funnel clouds do not reach the surface - instead they become a tornado if they reach land or a waterspout they hit a body of water.

BBC South West senior broadcast meteorologist David Braine said about 30 tornadoes are reported in the UK every year.

"The UK gets more tornadoes per square kilometre than the USA, but not more tornadoes in total," he said.

"UK tornadoes tend to be short-lived and much weaker than those in the States, often not getting the big temperature contrasts to fuel the storm that you get in a large continent."

He said funnel clouds were more common but they "often form and then fade away".

"With climate change it is likely that the frequency and intensity of homegrown tornados will go up," he added.

A funnel cloud was also spotted in Camelford last year.