15 March 2023 , 16:01
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Shocking photos show the scene of devastation after a tornado-like storm tore though a UK village.
The freak weather event in the Peak District this week ended up uprooting trees, damaging buildings and even killing a bull.
Residents were awoken by the twister which shook their houses as it swept through Great Hucklow, Derbyshire, at around 6am on Monday.
Locals say huge old trees were snapped 'like matchsticks', walls were destroyed and significant damage was caused to the local pub and school in the space of 45 seconds.
One animal fatality also came in the form of a pedigree bull, which was sadly killed as it sheltered from the fierce winds. Other wildlife in the area also perished in the storm, according to locals.
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Trees were uprooted amid strong winds in the Peak District, killing one sheltering bull (Villager Jim / SWNS)Great Hucklow Primary School was forced to close, while The Queen Anne Inn sustained significant damage to its beer garden amid strong winds.
Headteacher Andrea Tomlinson said: “Our site supervisor was at the school just moments after it happened and spotted the fallen trees.
"Then we realised the extent of the damage; the greenhouse has been smashed, the early years outdoor area trashed and we had a hole in the roof we knew it was really serious.
"We also had no power, but none of the village did.
Significant damage was caused to a local pub and school (Villager Jim / SWNS)She revealed all the children have since been sent for lessons at Stoney Middleton school while repairs take place.
"Luckily everything has moved really quickly and we are hoping to be back in the school on Thursday”, she added.
Farmer Margaret Heath meanwhile said on Facebook that the storm brought down five large beech trees down "like dominoes" at their farm in Rushton Spencer, killing the pedigree British Blue Bull sheltered underneath one of them.
One farmer told how trees fell 'like dominoes' during the sudden storm (Villager Jim / SWNS)Magdalen Hardy-Crisham, another local, wrote online: "It was terrifying and came out of literally nowhere.
"It was a bit breezy then suddenly all hell broke loose for about 45 seconds then it was gone. There's a lot of damage."
Other residents described fearing their roofs were about to collapse and being woken by a sound like 'a fire hose at full blast aiming at your windows'.
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An investigation is now taking place to determine the nature of the weather event (Villager Jim / SWNS)Torro, which keeps records of tornado incidents and severe storms across Britain and Ireland, said their investigation would help determine whether the storm was in fact a tornado.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “We are looking at the severe weather event in Great Hucklow, Derbyshire.
"Local people have been very helpful, indicating where damage occurred and the nature of it.
"We will put all of this information together before drawing a conclusion.”