Tornado shock for first-time flyer in the Midlands

Neil Taylor was on the runway at Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport in Bobbington, Staffordshire, when his experienced instructor spotted the scary twister.

Undeterred, Mr Taylor, who was undertaking the lesson as a birthday present, said after a quick pause until the tornado vanished he carried on with his special lesson.

The hour-long flight saw him swoop over Molineux, home of his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers, which 43-year-old Mr Taylor said was the highlight.

But while he eventually returned to solid ground safe and sound, pub owner Mr Taylor said seeing the tornado just before he took off was a little concerning.

"It was a bit worrying, seeing the tornado was quite a sight," Mr Taylor, who runs the Fox at Shipley, said.

"The flying instructor said he'd never seen a tornado in the UK before, only when he'd been flying in the United States.

"We waited a bit for the weather to die down but once we were above the clouds it was really calm.

"After all that I had a great experience and Molineux looked fantastic."