IT WAS ten years ago this week (July 28, 2005) that the Birmingham Tornado touched ground in the south of the city, leaving a trail of destruction and injury in its wake.
Miraculously there were just 19 injuries and no fatalities caused by the worst tornado to strike the UK for over 30 years.
But the carnage left behind by the tornado will be remembered for many generations to come.
West Midlands Fire Service received over 240 calls for assistance in the first hour post-tornado, sending 25 fire engines and over 100 firefighters to the affected area which included Moseley, Kings Heath and Balsall heath.
The tornado affected several hundred properies and more than 30 streets and roads had to be searched house by house by officers, specialist urban search and rescue dogs and trained sniffer dogs.
Nobody was found to be trapped, with all of the injuries experienced caused by flying debris.
The total cost of damage was around £40 million, making it the most costly tornado in British history.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the tornado, West Midlands Fire Service has released some previously unseen pictures of the aftermath.
Here are just a few of them.
