Extreme weather conditions are once again battering Britain with torrential rain causing severe flooding in vast swathes of the South-East of England and the Midlands. The gloomy outlook is set to continue, raising fears that the Glastonbury Festival, which starts in earnest on Friday, may turn into one big quagmire.

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Lightning strikes dramatically over the Fawley Oil Refinery in Hampshire

A major clean-up operation is underway today in Kent after the county suffered two inches of torrential rain and high winds as a three hour thunderstorm wreaked havoc yesterday evening.
Emergency services received 400 calls in two hours from panicked residents in the worst hit areas of South and East Kent who suffered flooding and power cuts when the storm hit at around 7.30pm. A spokeswoman said: "People were reporting flooding into their properties with some saying they were up to their knees in water.  "Folkestone, Margate and Canterbury were worst hit. It was a very busy night." During the storm they confirmed one property in Broadstairs was struck by lightening and its roof burst into flames. No-one was injured in the fire. In Cornwall a mini tornado was spotted spinning across the summer skies and was captured on camera by startled motorist David Rogers, 25, over the A30 in Lostwithiel.

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Dark thunderclouds gather as a twister strikes in Lostwithiel, Cornwall

Mr Rogers watched in awe as the funnel-shaped wind tunnel sucked up tree branches and bushes sending their leaves showering through the air. He said: "I looked over and thought 'what's that?'. It started spinning and I realised it was a tornado. "The trees were spinning with their branches in the air. It was a bit scary and a real shock, but very exciting. "I drove back the same way a while later and all the trees had been stripped bare, it must have been pretty powerful. "I have always wanted to see a tornado, I was even thinking of going to America to do it, I can't believe it actually happened in Cornwall." Met Office spokesman Barry Gromett confirmed that it was a tornado and said: "It is difficult to see whether this has actually touched down to the ground, but the potential is definitely there. "This is still a long way from the really big ones seen in the States, though."


Several inches of water flood Portishead high street in Somerset

Terrified pensioners were also evacuated from an East Sussex nursing home that went up in flames during storms. It is thought a lightning bolt hit the large home, setting the roof and part of the second floor on fire. More than 30 fire crews rushed to Moorhurst Nursing Home in Westfield, near Hastings, just before 8pm last night to tackle the blaze. A spokesman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said everyone was evacuated safely from the home. earthquake.

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Lightning strikes a shop in Bristol

West Midlands Ambulance Service said its crews had reported floodwaters rising to the height of car doors in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire area last night. One ambulance crew in Worcestershire was unable to reach a man stranded in his home after finding that a bridge had been completely submerged. Paramedic Andy Lightbody and his colleague Rachel Rose, who are based in Kidderminster, were also thwarted by a landslide as they tried to reach the man, whose house was thought to be in danger of collapse in Shrawley. Mr Lightbody said: "We were travelling along the A451 to Astley, but it was flooded and we diverted down a B road to gain access. "Unfortunately, we then encountered a landslide blocking the lane and had to reverse back. "When we got as far as Glazen Bridge, the bridge itself was completely underwater, with one of the parapets broken off. "We had to stop there and wait for an update from the fire and rescue service, who had managed to reach the stranded man on the other side of the river." The crew were, however, able to reach a second patient, who had suffered lacerations to his feet while wading through floodwater after a brook burst its banks. "Neither Rachel nor I have experienced such horrendous conditions before," Mr Lightbody added.


Shaken Bridge in Hawnby, North Yorkshire was badly damaged as freak weather caused the River Rye to burst its banks

In Somerset campers are already arriving at a boggy Glastonbury Festival site. With the weather due to remain unsettled there will be fears of a repeat of the 2005 festival when rain battered the event, turning the site into a muddy swamp, which in turn caused hundreds of festival-goers to suffer from trenchfoot.

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Will this year's Glastonbury revellers look like this muddy festival-goer in 2005?

Met Office forecaster Chris Almond said: "For the rest of the week it will be showery and unsettled and this will continue through the weekend."

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A lightening bolt strikes out over Doncaster on Tuesday night. (picture: MARIE CALEY DMC)

FIREFIGHTERS from across Doncaster were busy last night after heavy rain and thunder battered parts of out the area.

The worst of the weather seems to have been on the Rotherham side of Doncaster, with Wath and Swinton both badly affected by flooding.

Every available fire engine - between 15-20 - were out in the Swinton, Rawmarsh and Wath areas early today after around two inches of rain fell compounding problems from last weekend.

Crews from Mexborough were called out at to Mill Cottages, in Newhill Road, Wath, at 4am to deal with severe flooding.

Crews were still at the property at 9.15am and another watch was expected to take over the clean-up operation later this morning.

Lightning struck at Stancil Farm, in Stancil Lane, near Tickhill, at 10pm yesterday causing a fuse box to blow causing a small fire.

Firefighters were called to Clover Walk in Bolton on Dearne at 3am today after another lightning strike caused a black out and plaster to be blown off one property. There was also a power cut in Woodlands and a brief cut to supplies in Bessacarr and Cantley.

There were reports of standing water in Edenthorpe and Auckley causing problems for drivers early today.

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Dozens of Shropshire families were today flooded out or marooned in their homes after some of the worst electrical storms in living memory battered the county.

Rivers and brooks burst their banks, buildings were struck by lightning, trees were brought down, landslides blocked roads and torrential rain caused flash floods.

Shropshire Star weatherman John Warner said nearly two inches of rain - the normal average for the whole of June - had fallen in just an hour in east Shropshire last night.

He warned more storms were on their way tomorrow. Worst hit area was the Severn valley south of Bridgnorth, particularly at Hampton Loade, near Alveley, where parts of the B4555, the main village road, collapsed and trees fell, blocking access.

About 20 families at the Hampton Loade Caravan Park and other houses on both sides of the river bank were marooned, with people taking refuge upstairs as water poured into their homes.

Firefighters were on the scene all night and were expected to remain all day, using specialist equipment to cope with appalling conditions including mud, fallen trees and deep water.

Divisional officer Mike Ablitt, of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “There has been a fantastic effort by everybody - fire control, operational crews and the public themselves who have been patient knowing we cannot be everywhere at all times.”

North Shropshire escaped the worst of the weather although the A525 Whitchurch to Nantwich Road remained blocked this morning because of severe flooding at Brookstones.

Whitchurch firefighters were called at 12.15am today following reports a car was trapped in the water but the driver had managed to get his vehicle free.

Firefighters reported a couple of feet of water on the stretch after the brook burst its banks.

Elsewhere the River Tern at Market Drayton was on Flood Watch and Highways reported flooding on a number of roads including at Wem.

Across the rest of the county firefighters were inundated with more than 300 calls and went out to 136 incidents in one of the busiest nights they have ever experienced.

Weathermen say the storms - in a belt from Gloucestershire to Shropshire - were caused by warm damp air from the Bay of Biscay.

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