Mini tornado lifts a camper and throws scooters over the campsite

A mini tornado tore through a village – lifting caravans and hurling goods across the local golf course. The twister hit Ynyslas in Wales – smashing tables and sending camping equipment and belongings flying.

Shaun Watts and his father Steven were in their caravan in the Borth and Ynyslas Golf Club car park when they heard a load screeching. The front of Steven’s van lifted off the ground – and Shaun says his own van briefly left the ground completely, rolling him out of bed and waking him up.

The wind blew over mobility scooters and even broke a pan. Shaun said they suffered around £700 worth of damage. He said: “It was like a roaring lion. Honestly, it felt like it was hit by a truck the way the trailer lifted.

“We’ve been camping here for three days and thought it was quite a sheltered spot by the sea wall. Around 6.30am we were woken up by the sound of both our caravans being pulled up to the front.

“Most of our stuff was picked up and thrown over the golf course, with some items traveling over houses near the road. A table I had was snapped in two and even a frying pan was almost bent in half and the handle snapped off.”

Shaun, his son and his father Steven spent the rest of the morning searching for their belongings – which they found strewn across the nearby golf course. Shaun says the force of the wind damaged his caravan, camping gear and even his vehicle.

“That’s how strong the wind was,” Shaun said. “Both me and my dad have mobility scooters and we were both moved by the wind.

“We have expensive windbreaks and they were snapped in half. Rocks were picked up around our caravans but there are other vans on either side that were untouched.

“The guy next to us has a bike outside and that’s still there. My van was totaled and the front wheels, drop links and tires were damaged.

“I think in total I lost about £700 worth of stuff. We’re a little shaken, but okay.”

It happened around 6.30am on Friday 7 June 2024.