PEOPLE were evacuated and two cars destroyed after the roof of a block of flats was ripped off by gale-force winds.

Debris landed on two cars parked at the front of the four-storey block of flats in Southampton - flattening both vehicles.

Part of the roof lay hanging over the side of the building at Golden Grove, in the St Mary's area of the city.

Residents were told to stay inside while firefighters used specialist cutting equipment to make the roof safe.

Unsafe People living in the seven top-floor flats had to be moved out overnight as the roofs of their properties were unsafe.

They spent the night with friends and families while engineers worked to repair the damage.

Sharlien Kennedy, of Golden Grove, returned to find her boyfriend's Honda car had been destroyed.

She said: "I was out Christmas shopping and I got the call to say the roof had come off the flats and landed on the car.

"I couldn't believe it. The first thing I'm going to do is get on to the insurance company - it's unbelievable."

Eyewitnesses spoke of the moment the roof was torn off the building.

Mark Davies, 46, of Golden Grove, said: "I heard all the handles on the doors shaking, then I looked out and saw the roof hanging off.

"It looked like a tornado had gone through, but it might have something to do with the wind coming around Albion Towers which is right next to the flats."

Janice Hunt, 54, added: "There was a loud crash. I thought it was the dustbin men but then I saw the damage.

"It was lucky no one was in the cars and the roof didn't fly off into other homes."

St Mary's fire station manager Greig Lorimer, who led a team of 13 firefighters, said: "About 50 per cent of the roof was damaged so our job was to make it safe. All the residents were told to stay inside while we cut the overhanging roof off in sections."

A spokesman for the Met Office said that no tornado had been recorded in the area but that winds had reached speeds of up to 45 mph.

Police cordoned off the area after the freak wind struck just after midday yesterday.

It remained in place throughout the evening as forecasters were predicting that winds would increase to up to 70 mph.