Direct strikes of storm ‘the size of Wales’

Houses were struck and roads damaged by lightning during a massive thunderstorm on Sunday night.

Firefighters were called to properties in Folkestone and Staplehurst after residents could smell smoke.

Residents at a house in Middle Mead, Folkestone, waited outside for fire crews to arrive after dialling 999 when a bolt hit the TV aerial.

They were alerted by the smoke alarm going off and saw smoke coming out of the roof.

The house was directly hit and fire crews carried out a thermal scan of the house inside and outside the building to make sure the house was safe.

Crews said the strike hit the roof aerial resulting in a power surge throughout the whole property causing burning to the TV aerial, which was in the loft.

It caused a total electrical failure in the house. Firefighters left the scene at around 2.15am.

There was also a number of other hits on Folkestone and pictures where lightning struck the road showed further damage.

One of the places where damage has been caused is at the junction of Warren Road, Foreland Avenue and Wear Bay Crescent.

Tarmac was lifted and cracked and councillor Mary Lawes said Kent Highways have been informed.

People have taken to social media posting pictures and videos of the dramatic weather overnight.

Kent Storm Chasers described it as an “insane strike rate” of the lightning in France, while the Essex Weather Centre has described it as a “dangerous supercellular storm”.

The storm moved into Kent from northern France and the Met Office said it was about the size of Wales.

As many as 40,000 lightning strikes were said to have hit northern France in two hours before the storm started spiralling towards the county.

People reported the storm hitting areas all across Kent, including Folkestone, Canterbury, Dover, Herne Bay, Maidstone, Ashford, Sittingbourne, Whitstable, the Isle of Sheppey and Faversham.

In Ashford the storm started soon after midnight and continued for more than two hours although there no reports of properties being damaged.

A house in Staplehurst caught fire after lightning struck the roof.

Around 16 firefighters were called to Chapel Lane shortly before 2am after the resident smelt smoke.

The strike caused cabling and pipework to explode and set fire to the roof of the house.

Picture: Andy Clark Lightning over Ashford

Dan Desborough captured the atmospheric scene over the sea at Folkestone

Picture: Mary Lawes Warren Road, Foreland Avenue and Wear Bay Crescent junction in Folkestone was damaged by the storm

Picture: Dan Desborough Lightning over Dungeness

More dramatic scenes from Dave Russell as the storm raged over Herne Bay

An electric blue in this picture by Guy Packman in Whitstable

Chris Rowden took this moody shot in Whitstable

Dave Russell captured the storm over Herne Bay

A Met Office map shows the size of the storm