A house in Stevenage was struck by lightning at the weekend following heavy rainfall which flooded many areas across the town.
Paul Cherry was asleep at his home in Whomerley Road with his wife Kim and two teenage children when the bolt struck his house at about 5.45am on Saturday, causing a plug socket to be blown off the wall.
“There was a big bang and I thought ‘that was close’ – it turns out it was in the bedroom,” said the 46-year-old, who was left without hot water, heating and electricity as a result.
“There was smoke in the room and a smell of burning, with a socket blown to pieces.”
Staff from highways contractor Ringway, working on behalf of Herts County Council, had already been called to the road the day before to deal with flooding and had to return on Saturday night – with a number of similar incidents reported across the town.
Mr Cherry added: “The fire brigade came straight out after the lightning strike and they were all absolute diamonds. The same can be said for the council as they came out twice to bail water and couldn’t do enough for us but the insurance company has let us down.
“They said we couldn’t claim as it was an ‘act of God’ so my message to everyone is always read the small print.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here