ALMOST 30 families hit by the London tornado have been unable to return to their homes, but it's hoped that none of the houses will need to be demolished.

Brent Council's spokeswoman Toni McConville said surveyors had inspected all of the homes affected by Thursday's tornado and were able to give their final assessment.

"All of the homes have been surveyed now by us. As far as we are concerned, we don't think any houses will need to be demolished at this stage. It's very unlikely," she said.

The number of homes considered uninhabitable dropped by five over the weekend, from 34 to 29.

The massive clean-up operation in Kensal Rise continues four days after the freak T-4 tornado touched down in the in the north west London suburb.

Rubbish collection trucks, sweepers and dust carts will move through all the affected streets today and tomorrow.

The council has moved its support centre to Kensal Rise Methodist Church Hall in Chamberlayne Road.

One road, Whitmore Gardens, remains closed.

Mayor of London and Brent resident Ken Livingstone praised the response of emergency services.

"I would like to express my concern and sympathy to those residents in Kensal Rise who have been evacuated from their homes and other people whose lives have been affected by the tornado," he said.

"The emergency services have responded to this terrible disaster with speed and efficiency."

Six people were injured when the freak tornado struck at about 11am yesterday, ripping tiles off roofs, pulling down fences and shattering windows.

The tornado was thought to have lasted less than a minute but the gusts in excess of 110 miles per hour left a trail of devastation.

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Torro) said it was the strongest tornado to hit London in more than half a century.