Claims of more than £500,000 for damage to caravans and motor-homes in Hinckley were made after a freak hailstorm, an insurance company has revealed.
Chunks of ice larger than golf balls rained down on the town as the summer storm hit the county on June 28 last year.
Mini tornadoes smashed windows and destroyed property across the county.
However, the hailstorm was particularly fierce around Hinckley, with shoppers having to take cover in the town centre, which also suffered flooding.
Shops in Castle Street closed, including the Britannia Centre and the Co-op, while Hinckley Leisure Centre had to shut because of a power cut.
Hinckley bus station was flooded, as were Brunel Road and Hill Street in the town.
Now, an insurance firm which specialises in protecting caravans, said it received claims worth more than £500,000 from 96 clients who had suffered severe damage to their vehicles.
A spokesman for Caravan Guard said: "Over the course of 24 hours and in the days that followed, Caravan Guard's in-house claims team was inundated with customers claiming for roof damage, damage to exterior panels, windows and skylights.
"Although a handful of customers claimed for minor dents and scratches, the majority had suffered extensive – in some cases irreparable – damage to their caravan or motor-home."
Caravan owners in the town made claims totalling £415,660, while camper van owners claimed for a further £86,514.
The spokesman said: "This is a phenomenal figure considering Caravan Guard has received just 117 hail damage claims in total since July 2007, 83 per cent of which came as a result of this one day's torrential hail."
Neil Menzies, the company's head of relations, said: "Who would have thought hailstones in June would cause so much devastation? It goes to show you can never predict what's around the corner."
Liam McWeeney, branch manager of the Swinton Insurance office in Hinckley, said: "It was not only the owners of caravans and camper vans who were lodging claims immediately after the storm hit.
"We were extremely busy because the hail stones and flooding had caused major damage to house roofs, conservatories, cars and other property.
"There were areas in Hinckley where you could see the worst of the storm had hit by looking at the cars with their roofs pitted by the hail stones. To make things more difficult, we had to handle the calls while our office was flooded."
Nigel Coppen, of Club Care Insurance, insurance providers for the Camping and Caravanning Club, said: "We saw a significant spike in the number of caravan insurance claims in the Hinckley area during this time.
"This incident really highlights the importance of taking out caravan insurance."
