A MINI tornado is being blamed for leaving a trail of damage across an area to the west of Bolton.

The freak gusts reportedly blew off roof tiles, damaged telegraph poles and broke off large tree branches.

The bizarre weather conditions happened yesterday at around 5.30pm.

Firefighters were called to deal with a dangerous overhanging branch in Woodland Avenue, Hindley Green, which was threatening to fall on passing cars.

One BEN reader rang in to say they had seen tiles blowing off a roof in Daisy Hill, Westhoughton. A spokesman for the Met Office said that it was possible that there had been a mini-tornado.

The cloud conditions yesterday were perfect for their formation.

The spokesman added: "These tornadoes can be a feature of British weather and there are about 30 reported a year."

August's weather is proving fickle. Just two days ago torrential rain flooded old peoples homes in Horwich and even washed a fish out of a manhole cover.

And last weekend, while the skies above Bolton were cloudy and dull, only a few miles further east people folk were basking in sunshine.