Lightning strike closes petrol station

A petrol station had to be closed after it was hit by lightning in storms on Monday evening.

The pumps at Sainsbury’s Bybrook, in Simone Weil Avenue, were coned off immediately after the strike but the station reopened the following day.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “We closed the forecourt at 6pm on Monday night as a precaution and we apolo- gise for any inconvenience caused.” A floodlight at the station was struck by light- ning while the store was open.

Witnesses described seeing sparks fly from a nearby lamppost, the smell of burning wires and a complete power cut after the direct hit.

The store spokesman said the strike damaged some electrical equipment at the station.

Over the weekend, a number of buildings in the county were hit by lightning, including a house in Kingsnorth.

Firefighters were called to the home in Manor House Drive just before midnight on Saturday.

Crews made sure there were no signs of fire and helped to make the scene safe after the strike caused a hole in the roof.

The two-storey home also suffered damage to a first- floor ceiling.

A structural engineer from Ashford Borough Council attended to assess damage to the roof and brickwork.

Sainsbury’s petrol station in Simone Weil Avenue, Ashford, suffered a power cut during the storm

Damage to the home in Manor House Drive, Kingsnorth, which was hit by lightning

Picture: Tina Hollands Lightning storm over South Willesborough