Isle of Wight tornado captured in dramatic video footage

A tornado has been captured on camera sweeping across the Isle of Wight.

The column of air was spotted on the island on Tuesday afternoon, with photos of the aftermath showing damage to properties and debris.

Building materials were blown about 30m (98ft) by the wind at Sandown Bay Holiday Centre in Yaverland, and a roof was ripped off at a nearby derelict building, the Island Echo reported.

The Met Office said the UK experiences about 35 tornadoes a year.

Paul Knightly, head of the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO), said he was "pretty confident" the incident on the island was a tornado after looking at footage and pictures.

He added: "We may send someone down to the scene to access the tornado's path, length and intensity in the coming days."

Timber was blown around Sandown Holiday Centre

Jamie Russell, of the Isle of Wight Met Service, told the BBC it was a funnel cloud that evolved into a tornado when it touched the ground.

He said: "The sea over the summer heats up and it holds that heat for a lot longer than the air does - so what you've got is warm air and cool air above it.

"That produces showers and thunderstorms, under the right conditions of course, and in turn gives the opportunity for funnel clouds and tornadoes to develop."

Mr Russell said he had found damaged trees around the Bembridge area that suggested the tornado could have travelled for between three and five miles.

One derelict building in Yaverland had its roof blown off

A spokesperson for the Met Office said tornadoes in the UK were usually "relatively narrow and short-lived affairs typically lasting for only a few minutes".

"From the video it looks like a funnel cloud (no contact with the ground), but from the reported damage it is possible it made contact with the ground at some point," they added.

It would be hard to calculate exactly how strong the winds were, but that they would probably have been between 50 and 110mph, they added.