A NATURAL phenomenon more familiar to areas of the US was spotted in the North-East yesterday.

Startled motorists and residents watched as an infant tornado wove its way across the County Durham skyline, near Sedgefield.

What began as a small funnel of air grew to about 100ft high, said motorist Graham Bartlett.

Mr Bartlett, who was driving on the A1 between Sedgefield and Prudhoe, said: "You could see the wind circling.

"It had light blue clouds and then a big black one right down the middle where the two systems must have collided. It was just twirling above the factory chimneys."

Gillian Mould, of Trimdon, County Durham, who had been driving with husband, Eric, to Fishburn, said: "I was looking over the fields and I saw this black funnel. We didn't get out of the car, but the funnel was about 400 yards away.

"You could feel the wind coming from it and the temperature dropped. It was moving westwards towards Sedgefield."

The police said they had not received any reports about the phenomenon or reports of damage.

But Phil Eden, of Radio 5 Live weather said that the funnel cloud spotted over County Durham was a far cry from the full-blown tornadoes that wreak havoc across the US.

He said that the funnel cloud, which is an undeveloped or baby tornado, does not reach the ground and does not do any damage.

"This is very typical of the weather we are having at the moment; showery and thundery at times.

"There have been a number of similar sightings near the coastline of eastern England this last week," he said.