Bungalow roof '100%' destroyed by lightning strike

A bungalow roof was completely destroyed after being struck by lightning during a night of severe thunderstorms.

Suffolk firefighters were called to the property, in Howley Gardens, in Oulton, at 00:38 BST on Saturday.

Within about an hour of arriving at the scene, on the northern edge of Lowestoft, the three crews had extinguished the blaze but they were unable to prevent it from consuming "100%" of the roof.

Suffolk Fire Service said no casualties were reported but the homeowner had since had to find somewhere else to live.

Firefighters remained at the scene until 03:32 to ensure the fire was fully extinguished and would not reignite using a thermal imaging camera. They left at about 10:10 on Saturday.

The property was hit during a night when more than 30,000 lightning strikes were recorded after thunderstorms swept across parts of England, according to the Met Office.

The vast majority of the lightning was out at sea, but torrential downpours also hit land, causing disruption in Kent with flooding in the Dover area.

Rain and lightning started at about 22:00 on Friday after the country experienced its hottest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching 29.4C in west Suffolk.

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