Extreme weather causes blaze and shuts airport

Extreme weather has caused extensive damage to infrastructure across the West of England and led to the closure of dozens of schools and an airport.

A lightning strike caused the roof of a house to set on fire as warm temperatures gave way to thunderstorms on Monday night.

"[It was] an explosion like a bomb going off," said Laura Sharp, who was sitting with her family watching the storm from her home in Emersons Green, Bristol, when the lightning hit the house behind her.

The heatwave also led to the closure of Bristol Airport on Monday night, while many schools announced they would be shutting for part of the week.

Another Emersons Green resident who heard the lightning strike said her TV "blew up".

Karen MacDonald said: "I thought it was something in our roof because it was so loud.

"We felt [the shockwave] go up our legs. We were in shock... it was horrific," she said.

"The internet went out, the TVs went off, the lights were on, the alarms were all going off and then we saw the flames so we immediately called the fire brigade.

"It literally happened in seconds. It was terrifying to be honest, really scary."

Both neighbours were given the all-clear to return to their homes later that evening.

Elsewhere, the storm was also responsible for bringing Bristol Airport to a standstill when suspected lightning strikes damaged equipment.

Some airborne flights were diverted to airports as far away as Manchester.

In a statement, Bristol Airport said it believed that "several lightning strikes" led to "complex damage to equipment".

An airport spokesperson also apologised to customers.

Normal service resumed on Tuesday.

The Met Office said Somerset saw a total of 18,540 lightning strikes on Monday evening.

The storm also brought heavy rain, causing localised flooding across the region which damaged homes and businesses.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Steve Piper, owner of Cheeky Bean cafe in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

He was forced to close on Tuesday due to damage to his basement kitchen.

"We came here last night and saw it under a foot of water," he said.

"It was really scary how quickly it happened.

"The community has rallied around though and set up a donation page which shows how good Shepton is."

Elsewhere in Bath, a primary school was forced to close after the rain caused a sewage surge that flooded classrooms and communal areas.

In a statement sent to parents, Oldfield Park Junior School said it was undertaking "an extensive clean-up operation" and was working on plans to relocate classes.

Much of the UK was given an amber extreme heat warning on Monday on Tuesday, while a rare red extreme heat warning has been issued for Wednesday and Thursday across southern England.

Dozens of schools across the West of England have decided to close on Wednesday and Thursday as temperatures continue to rise.

Some 60 schools in Somerset and more than 40 in Gloucestershire will be closing, with dozens more in Bristol and Wiltshire doing the same.

Bristol Waste announced it was moving its collections to earlier in the day to allow its workers to avoid the hottest hours.

Rounds on Wednesday and Thursday will start from 04:00 BST and residents are being asked to leave bins out overnight to ensure they are collected.

Extra collections will be planned for the weekend and next week if any are missed due to the heat.

St Philips and Hartcliffe Way Household Reuse and Recycling Centres in Bristol will also be shut on Wednesday and Thursday.

Bristol Water said it had closed public access to Cheddar Reservoir in anticipation of people arriving to cool off.

Swimming in the reservoir is never permitted but access has been cut off to deter anyone considering taking the risk.

Cheltenham Lido has warned against swimmers arriving without a reservation or season ticket to avoid the build up of queues.

"We do not want anyone, particularly young children, to spend over an hour queuing in these conditions without certainty of being admitted," it said in a statement.

Cricket fans did make it to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup at Bristol's County Ground, albeit with added hydration breaks and plenty of sun hats and umbrellas.

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