FAMILY 'LUCKY TO BE ALIVE' AFTER TORNADO STRIKE

'I looked up to see a huge, gaping hole

- Andy Russell

A FAMILY have spoken of their miracle escape from a tornado raging at up to 160mph which tore their home apart.

Gareth Moody said that they were "lucky to be alive" after a chimney crashed through his son's bedroom ceiling, missing him by "centimetres" but wrecking the family's three-story house in Greater Manchester.

The council licensing worker, his wife Lyndsey, their three children, and son-in-law fled to safety through the remains of the Stalybridge home to find their street had been turned into a "bomb site".

Around 100 homes were damaged as the Storm Gerrit twister caused mayhem, destroying cars, toppling walls, and uprooting huge trees.

The Moodys were in their front bedroom when what police called a "localised tornado" struck at 11.30 pm on Wednesday.

Gareth, 45, said: "There was a massive crash so I got up. I went to the back door because I wanted to make sure everything was safe, when there was another crash and the lights went out.

"I ran back upstairs and looked up to see a huge, gaping hole in the ceiling. It was completely gone.

"It was mayhem, bedlam. The chimney stack from next door had been blown out and came through our roof. We managed to get my daughter, son-in-law and our two sons out into the street.

"I think we are lucky to be alive.

The boys are especially lucky because the chimney stack crashed into one of their bedrooms. It's a miracle that no one was killed." Gareth added: "The chimney stack is actually in my son's room in one whole piece and missed him by centimeters." Nurse Lyndsey, 45, added yesterday: "It had started hailstoning...the whole house was shaking and the wind was howling.