A LYME Regis couple biking across America had a lucky escape when they rode through the epicentre of a tornado alert.

Tony and Stephanie Colston dodged giant hail stones and were just an hour away from the massive tornado that touched down in Oklahoma last week.

The couple, who own By the Bay Restaurant on Marine Parade, said they watched with horror as the storm killed 24 people and flattened communities.

Tony and Stephanie rode a Harley Davidson 3,500 miles in eight days from Los Angeles to Washington DC in aid of Help for Heroes.

The Run for the Wall ride, with several thousand bikers taking part, is expected to reach Arlington Cemetery on Monday, also Memorial Day.

Just four days into their journey, the convoy hit the Mid-West, travelling along Interstate 70.

Speaking from the US, Stephanie said: “We found ourselves right in the epicentre of the most recent tornado alert for the area of the Mid-West known as Tornado Alley.”

On Sunday, May 19, they rode from Goodland to Junction City in Kansas.

“We were awoken at 4am by a terrific thunder and lightning storm, accompanied by rain, hail and gale force winds,” said Stephanie.

“By the time we saddled up for the day's ride, the storm had blown through, but the ride organisers advised that the area we were travelling through was on severe tornado watch.

“We could see the storms all around us during the morning, but in the afternoon we had some nail-biting moments with roads awash with rain and hail the size of golf balls, winds of 50 to 60mph and spectacular lightning storms overhead, all of which led to an interesting and very wet ride.

“In the evening we watched a massive tornado touch down in Shawnee, Oklahoma, an hour to the south of us, on the TV, horrified that we had been so close.”

Stephanie said 19 tornadoes hit the states of Oklahoma and Kansas that day, and the weather was travelling at over 40 miles an hour towards the convoy of bikers.

Despite the weather reports, she said the riders cautiously set off the following morning towards St Louis.

“Reports soon came in of bikes being swept off the road by the huge winds and the sky was black most of the day, but we managed to keep ahead of the storms while the poor people a little way south of us were counting the cost of a massive tornado that totally destroyed homes, schools and shopping centres in Moore, Oklahoma as well as claiming several lives and injuring well over 150 people,” said Stephanie.

Tony said: “We're delighted to have dodged the worst of the storms.

“Weather changes so quickly across the vast plains either side of the I-70 that we never knew what to expect one minute to the next.

“It was pretty tense riding, but all part of the adventure.

“Fortunately no-one in our group was injured.

“Although there were a few bikes down due to the wet roads and high winds, everyone has been able to carry on.”

To sponsor Tony and Stephanie visit bmycharity.com/TonyColston