Spectacular thunderstorms rumble across UK

Thunderstorms hit parts of the UK overnight with many people being woken in the early hours of Thursday by dramatic lightning strikes.

Downpours struck the south east and south west of England and parts of southern Wales.

Some travel disruption is expected this morning but it is unclear how widespread the issues may be.

There were thousands of lightning flashes across the region, with people reporting spectacular strikes on social media.

Emma Richardson from Woking, Surrey, said it was an "amazing experience".

"There was even a giant rumble and cracking sound for the big finale."

In Westbury, Wiltshire, lightning damaged the electricity supply on the railway.

Lines have since reopened there but National Rail has warned of possible cancellations and delays to services.

A number of roads in Devon have been affected by the bad weather.

• The A383 is closed near the Dartmoor Halfway Inn due to a fallen tree
• Another tree is down on the A396 blocking half of the carriageway towards Tiverton
• Flooding is reported on A375 at Sidford

Storms are starting to spread towards East Anglia with the potential to reach the Midlands and further north into Wales.

But as the day wears on, much of the wet weather and storms should pass.

In Watford, a lightning strike caused a house fire at about 05:30 BST.

One weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued for the south of England.

The Met Office is warning of some flooding leading to "difficult driving conditions and some road closures".

In Sussex, two buildings were damaged by the lightning strikes overnight.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue said a care home in Elmer was struck while a building at the University of Chichester faced damage to its roof and power.

No-one was injured and residents have been relocated.

Later, sunshine is forecast with some places possibly experiencing the warmest day of the year. Highs of 22C are expected in East Anglia.

But more thunderstorms are forecast for England and Wales tonight.

Northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland are expected to remain largely dry in the 20s with the Eastern coast of England staying quite cool with temperatures between 13C and 14C.