Thousands in north-east England without power after storms

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Blakelaw house hit by lightning
Image caption,
A family in Blakelaw escaped injury when their home was struck by lightning

Up to 40,000 properties in the north-east of England were left without power after violent storms struck on the hottest day of the year so far.

Northern Powergrid said affected customers in County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland had supplies restored by late on Thursday night.

There were no reported injuries, but some properties were damaged by lightning strikes.

Some vehicles were also damaged by golf ball-sized hailstones.

Media caption,

The heatwave gave way to thunder and lightning, and hailstones

"The storms caused damage to the overhead electricity network and resulted in power cuts for around 40,000 customers," said a spokesman for Northern Powergrid.

"We diverted electricity supplies, where possible, through alternative routes to restore power to as many customers as possible while engineers worked to repair the damage.

"Our engineers are continuing their work to restore the remaining customers still affected."

Image source, Ben Lefevre
Image caption,
Hailstones caused damage to cars and windows in Sacriston

One couple in the Blakelaw area of Newcastle escaped injury when their semi-detached house in Rawlston Way was hit by lightning.

The strike ripped a hole in the roof and started a small fire with neighbours rushing to help the couple.

"The lightning knocked the chimney off at the side of the house. It's the worst lightning I've ever seen and I hope I don't see anything like it again," said neighbour Kathleen Reynolds.

The occupants of a detached house in Dean Park, Ferryhill, County Durham, were out when lightning started a fire in the roof of their house.

Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control, but parts of the interior were badly damaged.

Image caption,
The detached house in Ferryhill was empty when lightning struck

Ben Lefevre said hailstones the size of golf balls caused damage to cars, house guttering and windows in and around his home in Sacriston, County Durham.

Image source, Emily Murdoch
Image caption,
Emily Murdoch captured this storm in Cornsay

Virgin Trains East Coast travellers faced delays of up to 30 minutes on Wednesday evening when a lightning strike caused signalling problems between Newcastle and York.

A lightning strike between Monkseaton and Howdon also caused problems on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Forecasters say more storms are possible as temperatures remain high over the next few days.

Image source, PA
Image caption,
The storms lasted for several hours

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