Communities across the South are recovering after a wave of extreme weather brought lightning strikes, flash flooding and major disruption on Thursday afternoon.
In Arundel, West Sussex, multiple lightning strikes were reported as storms swept across the area. One of the strikes hit the Swan Hotel in the town centre, prompting an emergency response.
A spokesperson for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said: “Yesterday at 2.35pm we were called to The Swan Hotel in Arundel.
“Joint Fire Control mobilised two fire engines to the scene.
“Upon arrival crews found light smoke issuing from the building which had been struck by lightning. Firefighters used thermal imaging cameras to ensure there were no signs of fire and confirmed it was a false alarm.
“The crews left the scene at 3.25pm.”
Elsewhere in the town, a house on River Road was also hit by lightning, as was Arundel Town Hall.
The same storm system brought heavy rain to nearby Goodwood, where the Glorious Goodwood Festival was taking place. An inch of rain fell there in the space of an hour, waterlogging the course and leaving parts of the site soaked.
In Chichester, surface flooding was reported in the Hornet area, with drains struggling to cope under the volume of water, car were seen driving through heavy flood water, sparking memories of the 90s when the same area was underwater.
Further along the coast, the Isle of Wight was also hit by heavy rain. In Ryde and Cowes, homes were flooded as water levels rose rapidly. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they received multiple calls for assistance from residents dealing with flood damage.
No serious injuries have been reported, but emergency services across the South were stretched as they responded to a high number of incidents within a short timeframe.
The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms ahead of the storm, but the intensity of the downpours caught many off guard.
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