A man has claimed a pint may have saved his life after a tornado ripped through Tameside last night.

At just gone 11pm on December 27 Stalybridge was hit by a tornado which caused extensive damage to properties in the area - with homes on Hill Hough Road the worst affected.

Roofs had been completely ripped from buildings, trees uprooted while glass, slate tiles and masonry littered the streets.

Euan Welsh, of Cherry Grove, had just finished his shift working in the centre of the town when he spontaneously decided to stop into Wetherspoons - a decision which he claimed may have saved his life.

He said: “I was in Wetherspoons when it happened. The windows from the bistro next to it came in.

“I just finished work and I was going to walk home when I decided to go to the pub - so a pint saved my life possibly.”

Dad Kevin Welsh, 57, added: “I was watching the Woman in Black when I heard all this noise outside.

“I've lived here for 36 years and never experienced anything like this – we do get strong winds but only in one direction, this came from every direction and lasted all of one minute.”

The Welsh's came out unscathed from the incident, with Greater Manchester Police reporting that there were no injuries recorded but the force did declare a major incident stating 100 homes were impaced.

Lyndsey Moody and her family felt the full force of the storm.

The 45-year-old was in her home on Hill Hough Road with her husband and children when her neighbours chimney fell through their house.

"We had animals in the house - the dog, three cats and a turtle, when it hit," she said.

"There was one in the front bedroom, a chimney fell through and almost killed my son - if he was in bed the chimney would've killed him."

Lyndsey, who bought the terraced house with her husband 10 years ago, explained that it took just 20 seconds for the tornado to tear her home apart but told The Oldham Times she was just relieved her 15-year-old son is still alive.

She continued: "After that it was still, nothing - now we have to deal with the aftermath.

"We had the photo albums in the loft, they are gone with the rest of it. Christmas presents, computers, the lot."

Two doors down from Lyndsey, Jeffrey Sheehan had just arrived home from walking his dog when he and his wife heard "a loud swoosh sound".

The 68-year-old explained that they looked outside and saw "a roof blowing past the window" as he described the experience as something like "nothing" he had witnessed before.

Further down the street on the open space, two trees as tall as 30ft had been uprooted by the 'T5' tornado - which had would could have had winds as strong as 160mph.

According to Tornado & Storm Research Organisation (TORRO), it is possible the tornado could be the strongest to hit the UK in 17 years.

Speaking on X, formerly Twitter, it said: "The December 2006 London tornado, which hit Kensal Green in the north west of the city, was also rated T5 on the scale."

On neighbouring Laurel Bank, another tree had been uprooted landing on a-garage and taking part of 63-year-old Paul Degiorgio's house with it.

Paul and his 53-year-old wife Linda were evacuated from their homes and offered to spend a night in Dukinfield Town Hall - but chose to stay with neighbours instead.

Paul said: “I wasn't really scared, I'm more worried about what we do with the aftermath - how we get back to normal.

“We were told we could go to Dukinfield Town Hall to sleep there because the gable end of our roof was damaged by a falling tree, but we just slept at one of our neighbours'.”

While Linda added: “I was really frightened.”

Chief Superintendent Mark Dexter from GMP added: “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 enter 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.

“This has understandably caused some disruption and, though we are not yet in a position to confirm when the area will return to normal, further updates will be communicated when we have them. I would like to use this opportunity to thank the community for their cooperation and patience.”

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