FAMILIES in Middleton could have been forgiven for thinking they were in the middle of a disaster movie as a tornado left a trail of destruction across the area.

Residents in the Heath estate, Alkrington, were left terrified at the weekend after winds of up 112mph ripped a huge wooden roof off a row of garages, hurling debris 35ft over houses.

The force of the winds even bent a metal lamppost over.

Joe Simpson and his wife Cynthia, both 76, were watching TV when parts of the roof smashed through their patio door.

"It sounded like a bomb going off," said Cynthia. "We thought the house was going to come down."

Joe said: "I thought it was a low-flying aircraft at first.

"The next thing we knew was that part of the garage hit the patio window. It was quite hair-raising."

Labourer Terence Holcroft, 53, said: "It was fast and furious.

"It was raining terribly and when I looked out of my window I saw the roof flying through the air.

"It has left the area like a bombsite. I have not seen anything like it before." Anne Johnstone, 62, was at home with her husband Bernard, 62, when the tornado struck. She said: "A tornado is not something you expect in Middleton. It is a miracle no one was hurt."

Damage from the tornado was also reported in Moss Lane, Warwick Road, Hardfield Road and Warwick Close.

Frightening

Michael Lockett, of Warwick Road, said: "It was very frightening. Our windows were vibrating then bulging inwards." The fire service said officers faced "severe localised damage" at the scene after the tornado cut a path through a 100-metre corridor of the area.

Firefighter Paul Wilcox said: "I have never seen anything like it in my life. At first we thought there had been an explosion."

A police spokesman said: "There were no reports of any injuries. People living in three houses were evacuated as a precaution and spent the night with relatives.

"Officers stayed at the scene for several hours until the damaged premises had been secured."

And while repair bills for the damage is expected to run into the thousands, Met Office experts are now warning that Manchester could see more extreme weather.

A Met Office spokesman said: "When you get cold weather fronts moving north to south across the country it is quite natural to get areas of intense activity.

"These strong gusts of wind, or mini tornados affect even more localised areas because they develop and decay very rapidly.

"They are often triggered by hot weather and it is quite possible we could see more in the summer if we have very hot days - although they are relatively rare."

Were you hit by the tornado? Let us know what happened below.