MORE than 100 fallen trees had to be cleared away as council workers spent a total of 1,000 hours cleaning up after last month's tornado in the city.
The twister ripped through streets in east Hull and Bilton on Sunday, August 10.
A mile-long path of destruction was left by the tornado, while heavy downpours led to treacherous driving conditions and flooding in other parts of East Yorkshire.
The tornado through Hopewell Road blew off tiles, pulled up trees and even destroyed cars.
At the time, Hull City Council said it would take a couple of weeks to clear up.
The council received its first report of trees falling down at 2pm that day, with the last reported almost three weeks later on Friday.
The tornado came down at the junction of Marfleet Lane and Hopewell Road, across to Staveley Road and Barham Road, and was about half a mile wide.
A "full tree gang team" was assigned to the area immediately and worked until late in the evening, making sites safe, concentrating on property and vehicle damage.
The tree gang had full kit including chippers, chainsaws, tractor and trailers, JCBs and skip wagons.
More than 100 trees and branches were cleared.
For the first week, about 20 workers were involved in the clear-up, but this fell over the next couple of weeks to five staff.
More than 1,000 hours have been worked to clear the area.
Adam McArthur, assistant city manager for waste, cleansing, grounds and parks, said: "As soon as we were made aware of the mini-tornado on Sunday, August 10, a full tree gang team was immediately sent to the area and worked until late in the evening and was supplemented with a further two crews in that week making trees and branches safe.
"The team did a fantastic job and their commitment and flexibility is commendable.
"To experience extreme weather like the mini-tornado tests our plans and how quickly we respond. I was pleased with how the operation went.
"We cleared more than 100 trees and branches and, in total, more than 1,000 hours of work undertaken, which shows the impact the mini-tornado had within a small area of the city."
Several council houses suffered minor damage to roofs and guttering, while one property had a tree leaning into it, again with minor damage to roof and guttering.
The call-out officer attended and repair orders were issued for the relatively small amount of repairs.
Meanwhile, an east Hull taxi driver was inches away from death after a tree branch smashed through his windscreen during the tornado.
Russell Ramsbottom, 34, was travelling along Main Road, Bilton, when the tree fell on to his car.
The branch crashed through the windscreen and missed Mr Ramsbottom's head by about 4in.
He was the second 706 Taxis driver to suffer a near miss after the dramatic twister.
June Stephenson, 57, was sitting in a 706 taxi in Hopewell Road when a tree smashed through the window.
She had to be taken to hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises but the driver was unhurt.
Mr Ramsbottom suffered minor cuts from the shattered glass.
He said: "I still remember it all like it was yesterday.
"I still get nervous driving past trees when the wind is blowing.
"706 Taxis has given me a car to carry on my job as a taxi driver, but I am still trying to sort out with the insurance company whether my car can be fixed."
But Mr Ramsbottom says the area hit by the tornado has recovered.
He said: "Everything is pretty much back to normal now.
"The council did a very good job of clearing up the area."
