Strong winds flipped a caravan onto its side at Bamptons Farm campsite in the New Forest last night (Thursday).
David and Amanda Barkley were staying at Bamptons Farm with their nine-year-old son Tyler when the extreme weather – none were in the caravan when it flipped.
Minutes earlier, David had filmed unusual storm clouds over the Wightlink terminal as they returned from a day trip to the Isle of Wight .
Speaking to the Lymington Advertiser and Times, he said: “The ferry was 10 minutes late, luckily, otherwise we would have been back in the field, in the caravan having a cup of coffee when it happened,” he said.
“We didn’t see a funnel, but we saw the clouds lifting up and, as we were filming, we could see the clouds start to rotate.
“We got back to find our caravan lying on its side and people looking to see if we were inside.
“We’re just devastated, really. You wouldn’t believe it. You just go into shock when you think what’s happened here.”
The family, from Ashbourne in Derbyshire, have owned the six-berth Swift Quattro for three years.
Having arrived last Friday, they were due to have stayed until tomorrow (Saturday).
Although the caravan was still to be assessed by the insurance company, David believed it was a write-off due to its damage and the fact water had got inside.
He added: “It’s about a two-tonne caravan, so that’s a lot of weight to chuck up and tip on its side.
“It could have been anyone’s caravan in a whole field of vans and it just hit ours.”
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