Floods and lightning damage homes

One house suffered damage in a lightning strike

Torrential rain and heavy thunder storms raged across Devon and Cornwall overnight, leaving homes flooded and some properties damaged by lightning.

Two people were taken to hospital after lightning struck three homes near Gunnislake in Cornwall. There were also lightning strikes in Crediton, Devon.

Flash flooding closed streets in the Keyham and Devonport areas of Plymouth.

Elsewhere in Devon, Tavistock, Okehampton and Barnstaple were also affected by flooding.

'Enormous explosion'

After the lightning struck the homes near Gunnislake, the houses in Chilsworthy were made safe by Western Power.

Householder Peter de Lang said: "There was this enormous explosion. We're now walking around on lots of broken glass and china inside, and every footstep is just a crunch."

Rain in Plymouth led to flash-flooding in a number of areas.

People in Keyham and Devonport were badly hit when roads were turned into virtual rivers in a matter of minutes and water cascaded into homes and properties.

Several roads in Plymouth suffered from flooding very quickly

Many routes around the city had to be closed, including Wolsley Road, Kings Road and Paradise Road.

In Lipson Avenue, in the Lipson area of the city, one house suffered damage to its electrics and several small fires broke out after being hit by lightning.

A car parked outside the house had its windscreen smashed by the force of falling debris from the roof.

Residents in the area also reported deluges of water up to 1.5ft (0.45m) high coming into their properties.

On Fore Street in East Looe floodwaters threatened a number of properties.