Lightning strikes teenager's bed

A 15-year-old girl has narrowly escaped serious injury after a lightning bolt struck the metal frame of her bed.

The strike came through the roof of the girl's home in Alveston, near Thornbury, South Gloucestershire.

Firefighters say it was fortunate the girl was not touching the metal frame when the lightning bolt hit.

Four other family members in the house were also "incredibly lucky" to avoid injury after all the ceilings collapsed on the first floor.

Freak accident

The roof was badly damaged by the lightning strike and the family was moved to a neighbour's house as firefighters made the property watertight.

"The 15-year-old girl was incredibly lucky," said a spokesman for Avon Fire & Rescue.

"If she had been touching the frame, well, it could have been very serious."

The freak accident triggered an asthma attack and the girl was treated at the scene by paramedics.