A tornado which ripped through Greater Manchester has left roofs torn off houses and entire streets resembling "warzones."
Police declared a major incident in Tameside at about 11.45pm on Wednesday (27/12) after 80mph gusts swept through residential areas.
Dozens of locals were advised to stay inside "due to the severity of the damage caused and potential risk to public safety" while at least 100 homes were damaged.
Shocking pictures show houses with gaping holes in their roofs while dozens of cars were battered by falling bricks, trees and debris.
Residents told of their shock as they woke up to find their homes and cars wrecked in the aftermath of Storm Gerrit.
Rachael Jones, 44, who lives on Granville Street in Millbrook, said: "I was in bed last night, and it just sounded like it was a really bad hail storm.
"I could just hear lots of things flying about, I just stayed in bed because I was so scared.
"This morning I looked outside and it was like a warzone.
"All the slates off the roofs of my house were off, chimneys down the street have come off, my car's been written off and all the aerials are down, it's unbelievable."
Another resident said: "I was woken in the night by some huge bangs. At first I thought a house must have exploded or maybe a plane had come down.
"When I looked out my window in the morning I couldn't believe it. All the cars parked down my road were covered in bricks and had smashed windows.
"The house at the end of the street had had the gable end torn off and you could see right inside their loft. The force of the wind was just unreal."
On the same street a tree which smashed through a roof caused some residents to be evacuated by the emergency services.
Local Graham Yates, 50, said: "There was a tree outside that must be at least 70 or 80 years old but it was literally torn out by its roots.
"The tornado caught most people by surprise. You heard the word storm but never expect to wake up the next morning to see carnage outside.
"My neighbour's garden literally had five people's wheelie bins in it. They'd just blown right over the wall.
"I'm amazed no one was hurt or worse.
"If anyone had been stupid enough to be outside at midnight they'd have been toast."
Chief Superintendent Mark Dexter, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “This incident has undoubtedly affected numerous people in the Stalybridge area with many residents displaced from their properties during the night.
“Our highest priority is keeping people safe which is why we are advising those who have been displaced not to return or entre their properties which have significant damage until they have been assessed by structural engineers.
“I would also like to urge members of the public to avoid the area where possible and take extra care when travelling in vehicles on the roads in Stalybridge and the surrounding areas, due to debris in the road."
Fire and Ambulance crews and officials from Electricity North West have been working on multiple sites across Tameside.
The hazardous weather conditions were seen across the UK as Storm Gerrit swept across the country, bringing with it heavy rain and high winds with Scotland being the hardest hit.
The north-west of England, the southern coast, Wales, and Northern Ireland were also given Met Office yellow weather warnings on Wednesday, with heavy rain and wind also impacting those areas.
