IPSWICH: “It was like a scene from the Wizard Oz” – that was one woman’s description of a suspected mini tornado that ripped through the town.

The twister tore off a roof, showering cars and windows with debris, flung tiles and TV aerials from walls, blew bins and for sale signs across roads as well as felling trees.

Several homes in Quentin Close were badly damaged by the strong gusts which struck on Thursday at around 2.30pm.

Quentin Close resident Gillian Sillett said: “I saw part of a roof lift off, twirl round in mid air and then all this asphalt blew across the road, smashing into my car with a loud bang.

“I could only stand and watch in amazement from the kitchen window. It was like a scene from the Wizard of Oz.”

Another Quentin Close resident Charlotte Startup added: “There were bins blowing across the road and tiles falling off roofs – I didn’t dare go outside.

“I’ve lived here for 18 years and never seen anything quite like this. For some reason our road has been badly hit.”

In nearby Bramford Lane several ridge tiles were knocked off the roof of Clive Hack’s house.

Mr Hack, 59, said: “It sounded like someone was on the roof hitting the tiles with a sledgehammer – the noise was deafening.

“My insurance company have said I can’t make a claim because it wasn’t windy enough according to their average readings. It beggars belief.”

Alan Hoskins, 77, of Sproughton Road, added: “My For Sale was ripped up and blown into the road. I was worried my windows would smash.

“I was told that further down Sproughton Road a car had been flipped upside by the winds. I remember the storms of 1987 but this was even worse.”

A spokeswoman for Weatherquest said there were no confirmed reports of a tornado in Ipswich but that conditions at the time could have caused one.

Meanwhile, in Boxford a tree with a 3ft-wide trunk blocked School Hill yesterday, while trees also came down on the road between Nacton and Levington and in the Newbourne area.

Police reported several trees blocking roads throughout the county and are advising motorists to keep their speed down.

n Was your house damaged by the strong winds? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.