Dust devil in Basingstoke: UK mini Tornado near Dummer captured on phone camera Dust devil filmed near Dummer, Hampshire Local man took 45-second video of natural phenomenon on camera phone Dust devils usually harmless - though some fatalities have occurred Electrical activity caused by mini whirlwind can disrupt computers and phone signals It looked like something you'd expect to see whipping across the American Midwest. But this dust devil was spotted by a man in a field round the back of his house - near Basingstoke. Kevin Farndell filmed the whirlwind whipping up straw and soil to around 100ft in the air in Dummer, Hampshire. In a whirl: Kevin Farndell's video now features on the Met Office site The 63-year-old filmed the natural phenomenon for about 45 seconds on his mobile phone. He uploaded it onto his Facebook page and YouTube. Mr Farndell said: 'I couldn't believe it when I saw it - I've never seen anything like it. I just came round the corner and could see a vortex going round about 40ft away. 'There wasn't any wind and it was perfectly still, but I could see this straw flying up in the air. There had obviously just been a harvest and the straw was all lined up. It was like a mini tornado - a very British tornado. Dust devils are formed when hot air rises quickly through a small pocket of cooler, low-pressure air above it. If conditions are right, the air starts to rotate. More hot air rushes in towards the developing vortex to replace the air that is rising and the spinning intensifies, leading to a chimney-like funnel through which hot air travels upwards and in a circular motion. The column is kept stable - for a time at least - by the cool air that stops rising within the spinning outer wall of hot air. The spinning also causes the column to move forward. Dust devils usually end very suddenly when surrounding cold air starts to be sucked in, often if they are not moving quickly enough or if they hit an area of cooler terrain. Flat and barren land, light winds, cool atmospheric temperatures and clear skies are the optimum conditions for dust devils to occur. Funnel: The rising and falling column of hot air whips up debris in its path Mr Farndell said: 'It was an amazing sight but it was going so high up in the air - I was a bit worried about what would happen if any of the straw got sucked into an aircraft. 'The reaction I've had to the footage has been brilliant - everyone's been saying how amazing the dust devil looks.' They are not generally powerful enough to cause extensive damage, as they are often less than 3ft in diameter, with an average maximum wind speed of 45mph. However, some have been recorded reaching a diameter of 300ft, with winds over 60mph and lasting more than 20 minutes - and some injuries and even deaths have occurred. In 2000, a dust devil destroyed a fairground in Arizona, U.S. and injured several people, and in 2003, a roof was lifted off a building in Maine, killing a man inside. Dust devils have also contributed to more than 100 air accidents - some fatal. Dust devils have also been recorded on the surface of Mars.