Mega-storms the size of England are increasingly savaging countries across the Sahel, a five-year project backed by the UK government has found.

Already a troubled region, the Sahel – which hugs the Saharan desert from Senegal to Eritrea – has seen a threefold increase in mega-storms over the last 35 years.

The ferocious storms – which produce roughly the same amount of energy in 12 hours that the entire UK consumes in a year – can devastate everything in their path with powerful winds and torrential rain. They can grow as high as 16km, satellite images show.

In an attempt to mitigate the impact of the storms researchers, funded by the Department for International Development (Dfid), are working with city planners and officials to identify the areas most at risk.

“Unpredictable and devastating weather threatens the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people,” said Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary. “UK aid is working with British scientists so that we can prevent and react to natural disasters with an agility that saves lives and livelihoods.”

“For every £1 UK aid invests in preventing natural disasters, we can save more than £3 by avoiding the impacts of these extreme weather events,” she added.