West Bridgford ‘Tornado’: ‘The noise lasted 10 seconds’ say residents as clean up underway

At around 7:30 am today residents in several West Bridgford roads heard loud blasts and crashing masonry as what is described as a tornado ravaged the area.

Looking at homes on Selby Road, the weather event tracked a very narrow path, several streets were affected, as far as we are aware, Selby, Malvern, Trevor, Devonshire and Dovedale were affected and several more nearby too.

Rows of damaged homes and fallen trees and branches litter the roads along with broken roof tiles, but either side of this band, homes remain completely unaffected.

Cold air displaced milder air causing strong winds and what is known as a ‘squall line’ – this can be very wide or very narrow, tend to pass quickly and are less prone to produce tornadoes.

Weather forecasters suggest that it was a squall line in early analyses of the event.

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We spoke to residents on Selby Road this afternoon as the clean-up begins.

One said: ‘There was a massive noise, but it lasted only about 10 seconds and then it was gone.’

‘So many homes have been affected, no one has ever seen anything like this happen here before.’

‘Thankfully it happened at around 7:40 am before children were out on the way to school, falling tiles and branches could have been a serious problem.’

Others described the same loud crashing noises happening before witnessing the damage for themselves.

Nottinghamshire County Council said:

‘“We’re aware of a number of fallen trees in West Bridgford and the wider area following strong winds this morning.

“Where trees are affecting the highway our Incident Response and Forestry teams are in attendance.

“They are attending sites on a priority basis and are working to remove the trees and reopen the roads as soon as possible.”

Rushcliffe Borough Council said:

‘“We are working with other agencies and our Streetwise teams are assisting the clear up of the public areas affected wherever we can.”

Streetwise teams are at the scene this afternoon working on the area.

Jonathan Wheeler, Nottinghamshire County Council West Bridgford South Division told The Wire:

‘The weather this morning has of course caused a significant amount of damage across the area, predominantly around the Selby Road area and Dovedale.

‘A number of trees have fallen, and there is significant damage to a lot of houses. There is heavy wind forecast the rest of the day and so please be careful when out and about, as many more could fall.

‘Rushcliffe Borough Council are currently out cleaning the streets and will continue in the next few days.

‘Thanks to Rushcliffe Borough Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and everyone who has helped the clear up operation. Please check your properties, as some trees and roofs could have been damaged and could still cause issues later in the day.’

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