A ‘tornado’ forming near Pendle Hill was caught on video by local man on hike with his friend this afternoon.

Craig Bill Ramell, 37, of Accrington, embarked on a scenic walk with his friend this afternoon.

Whilst the stunning views of East Lancashire countryside were expected, the ‘tornado’ was an unexpected but spectacular sighting.

It was around 3pm when Craig captured a few photos as well as a video of the twister shaped cloud during the scenic walk with his friend.

Sharing his excitement over what he had just witnessed, Craig said: “It was very surreal and awesome to see I just wish it was closer, my friend Michael Treen and myself won't be forgetting that anytime soon.”

Despite its uncanny resemblance to a tornado, a spokesperson for the Met Office has sadly confirmed the cloud is in fact something a lot more common.

They said: “This looks like a Funnel cloud from the images as it isn’t reaching the ground.”

However, more recent footage from Blacko shows it touching near the ground and becoming an actual tornado. 

A funnel cloud is a cone-shaped cloud which extends from the base of a cloud towards the ground without actually reaching the surface.

In the UK they often look like thin dangling bits of rope, hanging from the cloud above.

Funnel clouds form when a rotating column of wind draws in cloud droplets, making a region of intense low pressure visible.

Whilst a tornado and a funnel cloud are formed in the same way, a tornado reaches the earth’s surface, like the one seen in the video from Blacko, which is the crucial difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado.

The UK sees around 30-35 tornadoes each year, however it is very rare that they are strong enough to cause any serious damage.