Hear first-hand accounts from witnesses

The devastating aftermath of the London tornado is set to leave some families homeless for Christmas while others may have no insurance to cover damage costs.

As many as 100 people may be unable to return home permanently because structural experts believe it is too dangerous. Estimates suggest that repairs could take weeks or even months, while some houses will have to be demolished.

The freak twister struck on Thursday, ripping through Kensal Rise, north London, and severely damaging houses, cars and trees. However, no-one was seriously injured.

Chimneys had been pulled down, roofs ripped off and windows smashed by flying debris - one house even had a side wall missing, exposing the rooms inside.

Eyewitnesses have described how the sky went dark and there was a noise like a jet engine when the storm hit and a cloud of debris swept through the streets. Latest figures have shown that 34 houses are considered uninhabitable.

Angry residents have criticised Brent Council for poor communication but officials insisted the response had been positive considering the circumstances.

Meanwhile, local MP Lib Dem Sarah Teather, said she was setting up an emergency relief fund for residents not covered by insurance. She also said she had asked the Government for aid.

She said: "How many of us make sure it [house insurance] is up to date? It’s quite common - you don’t expect a tornado in Kensal Rise."

Brent Council put eight families up in a hotel last night but said most of those affected had decided to stay with friends and family.

The clear-up operation was set to face further setbacks over the weekend with stormy weather and strong winds forecast for Sunday.

Andy Hardy, Brent Council’s head of Building Control Consultancy Services, said: "There will be a number of properties which aren’t going to be repairable. Some are dangerous and we are shoring them up."

Expressing concerns over the council response so far, Elaine Photiou, a married mother-of-three who works as a school administrator, said: "The council are not communicating with everybody.

"There are different degrees of problems, from people who have been made homeless to houses filled with glass and elderly people who cannot get out to get a pint of milk."

She added: "They need to come down to every single house and talk to residents."

But the council’s emergency planning officer Irfan Malik said: "We really do appreciate that this has been a terrible thing to happen to people just before Christmas and that people will be pretty upset.

"People feel frustrated about how we’re helping to get them back into their own homes but in a little over 24 hours, we’ve got quite a lot of people in their homes."

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