THIS is the aftermath of a lightning strike on a house as the soaring temperatures sparked a series of severe thunderstorms across the region.

The bolt of lightning started a fire in the roof of the property in Dean Park, Ferryhill, County Durham, today. 

Luckily the occupants were out of the house at the time, although the family's 15-year-old cat, Alan, was rescued by firefighters.

The fire was just one of a series of incidents sparked by the storms with trees crashing down, reports of flash-flooding and several power cuts across the region.

The owner of the house in Ferryhill, Raymond Lee, was at work at Gestamp Tallent  in Newton Aycliffe when the storm passed over.

He watched from outside the factory with work friends as it passed through Newton Aycliffe. Little did he realise he would be receiving a call about his home shortly after.

“When I got home there was just police and fire engines everywhere, and I could see the roof of the house was just gone,” he said.

“Thankfully, my wife was at work and my three little girls were at school. I was really worried about our cat, Alan, but the firefighters had managed to get him out and he’s fine.

“He’s 15 now and we’ve had him since he was six weeks old, he’s a part of the family.”

Emergency services were called to the detached family home shortly after 3pm.

Three appliances from Spennymoor and Newton Aycliffe and an aerial ladder platform from Durham  dealt with the incident.

Mr Lee said: “Neighbours came up to me and said they saw the lightning hit the house, others have said they heard the bang of the lightning striking the tiles.

“The roof and upstairs is completely destroyed, and downstairs is flooded from all the water.

“Obviously, my wife and daughters are very upset that we’ve lost the house, but we are just thankful that nobody was hurt.

“We have managed to salvage some personal possessions, pictures and things, with help from the firefighters.

“They were really brave to go straight in and put it out so we would like to thank them. It’s just one of them things.”

The Northern Echo:
The exterior of Mr Lee's house. Picture: Keith Taylor

The fire was dealt with by 6pm.

Elsewhere, the severe thunderstorms uprooted a tree causing disruption near Darlington.

The Northern Echo:
Mr Lee views the devastation caused by the lightning strike Picture: Keith Taylor

As thunder, lightning and torrential rain swept through the area, a tree on Staindrop Road, near the Walworth junction, on the outskirts of Darlington, collapsed, blocking traffic in both directions.

Sarah Caldecott, a photographer with The Northern Echo who was caught in the downpour, said: “There was the loudest bang and the tree just collapsed. I have never heard anything like it.”

The Northern Echo: Lightening hits the Clock Tower
Lightning appears to strike in Darlington town centre. Picture: Scott Martin

As the storm began to relent the drama was just about to begin for one well-known North-East company.
Car parts manufacturer, Nifco, which is based in Eaglescliffe was forced to stop production when it lost all power.

The company was still waiting for the power to return when The Northern Echo called around 8pm.
"It happened pretty much at the end of the storm. For us, as a world class manufacturing facility, if we have no power then the machines aren't running," said a company spokeswoman. "It's not a great situation to be honest, we need reliable power sources.

"It's an external matter. We are contactable by mobile, but to be honest we are in the hands of Northern Powergrid. Until they sort the problem out there is not a lot we can do."

The spokeswoman said Nifco was one of a number of businesses affected in the area.
"In terms of catching up, we will do our best," she said. "As soon as we get underway, we will crack on again, but it's a loss at the end of the day and an unforeseen loss. We have had to make calls to customers and that sort of thing."

The Northern Echo:
A tree  near Coundon is set alight after being struck by lightning. Picture: Keith Taylor

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the area today, predicting “isolated, heavy and possibly severe thunderstorms to develop late Wednesday afternoon across parts of Northern England and Southern Scotland.”

The Northern Echo:
Lightning strikes the outskirts of Darlington as the storm passes through. Picture: Sarah Caldecott

It continued: “Some torrential downpours are possible leading to localised surface water flooding, with large hail, squally winds and frequent lightning also possible hazards.

“The public should be aware that there is a chance of some very localised significant disruption.”   

The Northern Echo:
Another lightning flash near Heathfield School in Darlington. Picture: Jamie Blair

The Northern Echo:
Lightning over Ormesby, Middlesbrough at 11.45pm on Wednesday night. Picture: Holly Bellamy

  • Do you have pictures or video of the thunderstorm? Email newsdesk@nne.co.uk