The clean-up process as began after a “mini tornado” hit an estate in Widnes yesterday afternoon.
Residents took to social media to complain of damaged buildings and uprooted trees in the area as extremely high winds battered the Cheshire town after midday on Wednesday.
Both CCTV footage from a house camera on the new build estate off Moorfield Road and residents’ phone camera video posted to social media showed the aftermath of the havoc caused by the storm, with contents of gardens – including fence panels, a trampoline, and childrens’ play sets – seen strewn across the street.
The mini tornado also caused brickwork to collapse and windows to smash due to the strong winds, while tiles were ripped from roofs, trees were torn down, and several cars were dented by flying debris.
Another video showed toppled bins flying down with contents were thrown out.
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Resident Claire Earnshaw said she walked back from the shop and “came back to devastation” like a “warzone”.
Another resident John Hatton – who lives on Greenwich Avenue, where the tornado passed through – described the ordeal as “madness”, telling CheshireLive that th extreme winds came out of nowhere and shook his house for around 30 seconds, causing damage to his home and car.
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He explained: “I was in the back kitchen preparing my lunch and it just seemed to get windy really quickly, and then everything was blowing in air, there was fence panels blowing round, noises, the house seemed to shake for 20-30 seconds and then calm all of a sudden.”
But after the trail of destruction was left, a clean up has now begun and some road closures were put in place as a result.
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police issued a statement after the incident occurred yesterday, explaining that: “At 12.25pm on Wednesday 20 October, police received reports of damage in the Widnes area [and] the damage includes a wall falling down, windows of cars smashed and debris on Camberwell Park Road.
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“A number of road closures are in place, including Camberwell Park Road at the junction of Moorfield Road.
“Damage has also occurred to the garage of a property on Kensington Close.”
The force said there had been no reports of any injuries.
The Met Office also acknowledged that the tornado took place, but added on Twitter that despite how shocking the initial news of it may seem, “they’re not uncommon in the UK”.
There have been reports of a #tornado in the Widnes area this lunchtime
A spokesperson went onto explain that there had been several reports of funnel clouds and tornadoes across the UK over the past few weeks, and the narrow, spinning columns of air are formed when the weather is “unstable” and showery.
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The Met Office claims that the UK gets more tornadoes per square kilometre than the US, but not more tornadoes in total.
NHS launches new AI and robot cancer detection pilot offering ‘glimpse into future’
Emily Sergeant
The NHS has launched a ‘trailblazing’ new AI and robot pilot to help spot cancers sooner.
Patients who are facing suspected lung cancer could get answers sooner under the new pilot that makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic technology to help doctors reach hard-to-detect cancers earlier, and all without with fewer tests too.
At the moment, patients are faced with weeks of repeat scans and procedures to come to a diagnosis.
But this could soon be replaced with a single, half-hour cancer biopsy – reducing prolonged uncertainty, and avoiding more invasive surgery.
According to the NHS, the new approach uses AI software to rapidly analyse lung scans and flag small lumps that are most likely to be cancerous, before a robotic camera is then used to guide biopsy tools through the airways with much greater precision than standard techniques.
A new NHS pilot using AI and robotic technology will help doctors reach hard-to-detect lung cancers earlier.
Weeks of scans and procedures could be replaced with a single biopsy, reducing uncertainty and avoiding more invasive surgery.
The robot can reach nodules as small as 6mm – which is around the size of a grain of rice – that are hidden deep in the lung and are often deemed too risky or difficult to access using existing methods, and once AI has highlighted higher-risk areas, doctors can then take a precise tissue sample, which is sent to specialist laboratories and reviewed by expert cancer teams to confirm or rule out cancer.
The NHS’s top cancer doctor hailed the pilot – which is currently being carried out at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust – as ‘a glimpse of the future of cancer detection’.
“Waiting to find out if you might have cancer is incredibly stressful for patients and their families,” admitted Professor Peter Johnson, who is NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer.
The NHS has launched a new AI and robot cancer detection pilot that’s offering a ‘glimpse into future’ / Credit: rawpixel
“Our lung cancer screening programme means that we are picking up more cancers at an early stage than ever, and by bringing AI and robotics together in this trailblazing NHS pilot, we’re bringing in the very latest technology to give clinicians a clearer look inside the lungs and support faster, more accurate biopsies.
“This is a glimpse of the future of cancer detection.
“Innovation like this is exactly how we can help diagnose more cancers faster, so treatment can be most effective, and why the NHS continues to lead the way in bringing new technology safely into frontline care.”
If successful, the pilot will help the NHS to generate evidence to develop a national commissioning policy for robotic bronchoscopy.
It will also support more consistent access to the technology across the NHS in future.
Featured Image – Tima Miroshnichenko (via Pexels)
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Chester Zoo announces new spring date for its popular running event to help UK wildlife
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this year, and this time, there’s a new spring edition.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo seen success with this event in the past few years, with thousands of runners signing up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences and all funds raised going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
This year though, the much-loved event’s focus brings conservation ‘a little closer to home’ and will protect some of the UK’s most threatened species instead – with all funds helping to safeguard hedgehogs, kingfishers, otters, harvest mice, and more.
It comes as the UK is currently considered one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.
Participants will first get to wind through the zoo and enjoy glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Adults can choose from a 10K or 5K route, while younger runners are invited to take part in a one-mile ‘Zoom’ race, open to children aged four-15, which takes place entirely within the zoo’s incredible 130-acre grounds.
All runners will receive free entry to the zoo for the rest of the day as part of their registration, along with a 25% discount for friends and family who come along to show support.
Chester Zoo’s popular 10K charity run is returns with a new spring date / Credit: Chester Zoo
Lorraine Jubb, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo, called the Run For Nature a ‘really special event’.
“In previous years, runners have already supported conservation efforts for Asian elephants, Eastern black rhinos and Northern giraffe,” she explained. This springtime though, we’re turning our attention much closer to home in the UK, and to the wildlife we share our gardens, parks and countryside with.
“With one in six species now at risk of extinction in the UK, every runner will be playing a vital role in helping us protect animals and supporting our growing nature recovery work across right across Cheshire.
The Manc -
21st October 2021 
