PHOTOS: Trail of destruction as 'tornado' smashes into Doncaster homes and major incident is declared

Houses were ripped apart, tiles smashed down onto cars and gardens were wrecked as the twister ripped through homes and gardens in Thorne at about 3.30pm.

Residents have been left counting the cost of the freak event which one described as ‘absolutely terrifying.’

Police and fire crews all raced to the scene, while Doncaster Council officials have also been out to assess the damage to homes in Southfield Road, Medlar Court and Wike Gate Road.

Describing the incident, one Twitter user wrote: “Nightmare here - mini tornado in Thorne – damage to roof tiles etc, some have fell on cars.

"Luckily we not affected but sister’s house slight damage - about three today, fire service been on the scene.”

Another said: “We had what I can only describe as a mini tornado causing damage to people’s roofs and fences in Thorne.”

Another added: “Lots of houses have had roofs damaged.”

South Yorkshire Police said: “Two properties had their roofs blown off and a third lost it’s gable-end after a freak gust of wind in Thorne yesterday afternoon.

“South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service declared this a major incident. It was part of a reported ‘mini tornado’ which affected around 100 houses in Thorne, around Medlar Court, Southend Road, and Southfield Road. No injuries were reported.”