'I thought a bomb had gone off' - Emergency crews at the scene after Fleetwood home struck by lightning

Lancashire Fire and Rescue are currently on the scene after a direct lightning strike to a property in Fleetwood caused damaged to a chimney.

During widespread overnight storms, a property on Heathfield Road in Fleetwood was directly hit by a lightning strike, causing extensive damage to the property’s chimney and starting a small fire, according to reports.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue crews are now in attendance at the scene and have been using a cherry-picker to assess the damage to the home and ensure no long-lasting structural damage was caused by the incident.

The road is also shut as emergency services continue their operation.

‘I thought a bomb had gone off’

Tammy Stanbridge, who lives a few doors away from the damaged property said: "We just heard a massive bang then we could smell burning, as long as everyone is ok.

Scott Slattery said: "It was so loud, I thought a bomb had gone off. The dog was going mad!"

Hope Atkinson lives directly across the road. He said: "I heard the first bit of thunder and the next minute the lightning was overhead - then the bolt came, it was so loud I actually crouched down to the ground!

"I thought it had hit the top of the roof. It's blown the TV up. I've never heard anything like it."

‘Never heard thunder like it!’

Blackpool and the Fylde coast has been battered overnight as huge thunderstorms swept across the region.

Following a recent spell of scorching weather, the weather changed dramatically overnight, resulting in widespread storms across the Fylde coast, with countless residents disturbed by the rolling thunder and lightning.

There are scattered reports of damage to properties and buildings in certain areas including Fleetwood, where residents expressed shock at the ferocity of the storm, with one local resident commenting: “I’ve never known a thunderstorm last for seven hours!”

There are also unconfirmed reports of various neighbourhoods being without electricity and internet this morning, with fire crews attending numerous incidents.

More news to follow...