A mini-tornado whipped up a storm of excitement in Leicestershire yesterday.

The twister – spotted over farmland north of Billesdon and west of Tilton-on-the-Hill – was captured on a mobile phone camera by 15-year-old Mikey Ratcliffe.

Mikey, of Aberdeen, was travelling with his family along the A47 towards Leicester when he spotted the tornado at about 10.15am.

He said: "I have never seen anything like it. It was quite far off but it seemed to be pretty big. We must have been able to see it for easily 10 minutes. It was really great to see.

Ros Barnes, from Fleckney, also spotted it. She said: "The clouds were very dark and then I spotted the funnel.

"It was very exciting. As I got closer I realised it was quite big. It seemed to be touching the ground."

Tornados are formed when warm, moist air meets cold, dry air.

Storm-chaser Stuart Robinson, of Mountsorrel, said it was not unusual for tornados to be spotted in Leicestershire.

The member of Tornado and Storm Research Organisation said there was a line from Bristol to Lincolnshire along which tornados regularly formed. He said: "We lie right in the middle of that line and in late July and early August we seem to get the right conditions.

"Days like yesterday are few and far between but they are very exciting when they do come along."

Mr Robinson has asked anyone who captured the tornado on film to contact him via e-mail:

stuart@stormtrack.co.uk