In the south of England thousands of lightning lit up the sky

Thousands of lightning bolts lit up the sky overnight as thunderstorms caused flooding and travel disruption in parts of England.

The storm rolled to the southwest on Monday evening and moved to the southeast during the night, with people waking up in the early hours to loud thunder and lightning.

London’s fire brigade said it responded to 400 calls overnight, including two house fires. Struck by lightning, a house in Bristol caught fire in the evening storm.

As England braces for temperatures of up to 40C, the Met Office has issued a rare red alert for use on Wednesday.