Giant dust devil sweeps through restaurant in Bognor Regis
A giant dust devil swept through The Lobster Pot in Felpham on Tuesday, 10 August, leaving customers and staff scrambling to react as strong winds knocked over plates and umbrellas.
The restaurant has posted on its Facebook page about the incident, describing it as a “mini tornado” which suddenly whipped through the outdoor seating area.
Staff praised customers for their “lightning-fast” reactions, with diners quickly grabbing umbrellas and helping to clear up after the dust devil passed.
The Lobster Pot said the only damage was to a few umbrellas, which are already being reordered.
The unusual incident comes during the current spell of hot weather, which may have helped create the conditions for a dust devil to form.
Swirling columns of air can develop when strong sunshine heats dry ground, causing warm air to rise rapidly and begin rotating. While they can look like miniature tornadoes, dust devils are generally much less powerful and form from the ground up.
For those enjoying the sunshine at The Lobster Pot, however, the sudden whirlwind came as an unexpected interruption to lunch.