Villagers were left perplexed when a 'mini tornado' hit part of West Lancashire yesterday.
The North West was hit by further thunderstorms and torrential downpours following days of unsettled weather conditions.
A yellow thunderstorm warning covered the whole area as heavy rain of up to 1.6in (40mm) fell within an hour.
But during the thunderstorms, what looked like a small tornado made its way through Parbold.
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Leon Kamel said: "It was amazing actually witnessing it first hand, as I’ve never actually seen one in person before."
It was also reportedly seen in St Helens.
Whilst the shocking photos may appear to show a tornado, it's most likely this phenomenon was a funnel cloud.
Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesman, said: "This picture has captured a very clear example of a funnel cloud.
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"These can form at the base of thunderstorms and they can develop into tornadoes, but they are only officially recognised as a tornado when the tip makes contact with the ground.
"With the density of thunderstorms that we have seen over parts of the UK in recent days, it is no surprise that we have seen eyewitness accounts.
"In the UK we get about 30 tornadoes each year, on average, but most are very short-lived and don’t have the destructive capacity of those that form in Tornado Alley in the United States."
