Storm Gerrit: Clean-up under way after tornado hits town

Joyce Bromley said she had been scared for her life when the storm hit

The community has rallied together after a tornado struck a town during Storm Gerrit.

Roofs were torn off houses and walls collapsed when the weather hit Stalybridge in Greater Manchester on Wednesday.

Joyce Bromley, who runs Hill Top Farm, said the roof had been ripped off her barn and her animals exposed to the elements.

"I was scared for my life," she told BBC North West Tonight.

But the community has since rallied round with many rolling up their sleeves to help clean up the trail of destruction left behind.

"We've got other people in the community which are going to come and help us later on today," she said.

Damage has been caused to various buildings in the area

Anthony Kearns, a roofer, described the aftermath caused by the storm as "devastating".

"It's the worst storm damage I've seen in 30 years of doing this job," he said.

"It's quite freaky how it's happened."

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• Roofs blown off as tornado strikes town

There were no reports of injuries in the tornado in Stalybridge, believed to have been caused by a "supercell" thunderstorm.

The Met Office said one of these thunderstorms crossed Greater Manchester on Wednesday evening and had a "strong rotating updraft", which suggested "a tornado at the surface was likely".

The Millbrook and Carrbrook areas were worst affected by the heavy rain and wind in the area.

Elsewhere in the UK Storm Gerrit brought flooding and disrupted travel, with Scotland worst affected.

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