Owner ‘in shock’ after tornado batters Welsh farm
Deilwen Breese, owner of Gogarth Hall Farm in Pennal, said the winds were so strong that a ewe and its lambs were lifted up into the air.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Strong winds that caused “at least £100,000” of damage to a farm in North Wales have been confirmed as a tornado, according to experts.
The extreme weather struck Gogarth Hall Farm in Pennal on Wednesday, uprooting trees and lifting a ewe and lambs into the air.
The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation said it had investigated the site and believed that the damage was caused by a T3 tornado.
Investigator John Mason said objects had spun around before falling to the ground.
There was plenty of evidence of objects being airborne and spinning around the circulation before falling to the ground
“The tornado was confirmed as there was plenty of evidence of objects being airborne and spinning around the circulation before falling to the ground,” he said.
He added that he believed it had a strength of between 93mph-114mph.
Deilwen Breese, owner of Gogarth Hall Farm, said she was away from the farm when she received a phone call telling her to come home.
Ms Breese told the PA news agency she did not realise the scale of the damage until she got back.
“I thought it was just that part of the roof had gone,” she said.
“But oh my god, when I came home I could not believe it.”
Ms Breese said she was still in shock from the incident.
“The devastation, it was heartbreaking,” she said.
It took a ewe out through the bay of a shed, and it picked up the little lambs
“I am still in shock, really.”
Ms Breese added: “Trees had been lifted from their roots.
“If they hadn’t been lifted they had just been tarnished.
“We have lost hundreds of trees.”
The winds were so strong that a ewe and its lambs were lifted into the air.
Ms Breese said: “It took a ewe out through the bay of a shed, and it picked up the little lambs.”
She said the lambs were fine, but the ewe was “gone”.
Ms Breese said that the damage to the roof was “about £100,000”.
It's going to take months, it will never get back, not in my lifetime. It will never come back to what it was
“When I got to the farm I could see the damage to the roof, it’s about £100,000 worth of damage on the roof.”
She said a group of 12 local volunteers were now helping her clear the devastation.
However, Ms Breese feels that the farm will not be the same.
She said: “It’s going to take months, it will never get back, not in my lifetime. It will never come back to what it was.”