Suffolk waterspout
© Phil Hannam /Geoff Robinson Photography Chef Phil Hannam captured the waterspout spiralling over the small village of Thorpeness
Sky-spotters were stunned to capture photos of a dramatic waterspout in stormy skies over Suffolk.

Phil Hannam, a chef, was taking a break from the kitchen when he saw the intense vortex spiralling over the small village of Thorpeness.

Reinhard Olbrich also took a remarkable picture of the funnel-shaped cloud from a pub garden in the village on Saturday evening.

Although witnesses believed they had seen a tornado it was actually a waterspout, which is a type of funnel cloud that occurs over a body of water.

Mr Hannam and his colleagues at The Kitchen at Thorpeness restaurant were stunned to see it circling over their village, which is near the coast.


Restaurant manager Amy Youngs said: "It was muggy and stormy yesterday and we had all sorts of weather, but we've never seen a tornado over Suffolk before.

"We were stunned when Phil came back and showed us the photo on his mobile phone."

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air which rotates while in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cloud.

They are often referred to as twisters and often travel a few miles before dissipating. The most extreme tornados can attain wind speeds of more than 300 miles per hour, but often have wind speeds of less than 110 miles per hour.