This is the moment flames ravaged a family home after it was struck by lightning during last night's thunderstorm.

The roof and first floor of the home in Bristol was ablaze following the strike in Wadham Grove just before 6pm.

Videos posted on social media showed flames enveloping most of the roof and black smoke billowing into the sky. 

One neighbour said: 'We are in the next road and the explosion was quite something.

'We knew something had been hit as soon as it happened and then saw the smoke. I'm so glad no one was injured.'

Avon Fire and Rescue Service said a fire broke out on Wadham Grove just before 6pm.

A fire service spokesperson said: 'Upon arrival, crews found the house well alight.'

Crews from Kingswood, Temple, Southmead, Patchway and Portishead headed to Emersons Green to fight the blaze.

One person was injured near the scene in an unrelated incident and was passed to the ambulance service.  

It came during a night when thunderstorms and flash flooding sparked chaos across Britain, with commuters struggling to get to work after trains were cancelled and roads submerged underwater. 

Heavy rain swept across southern England overnight, forcing operators to impose emergency speed restrictions and warning passengers to expect longer journey times.

Forecasters believe this extreme weather is being driven by a powerful 'heat dome' settling over western Europe, as the UK braces for a potentially record breaking heatwave.

In the capital, London Fire Brigade responded to 400 calls overnight, including two house fires believed to be caused by lightning strikes.   

Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: 'It has been a very busy night for our control officers, firefighters and officers. 

'Shortly after 4am, due to a large number of calls received by the brigade, we implemented our high-volume call procedure which means flooding calls where there is a risk to life are prioritised and crews then attend other calls as non-emergencies when they can.

'Operation Willow Beck was also temporarily stood up. Introduced in 2022 nationally by the Home Office and National Chiefs Fire Council, this is a pre-determined 999 call distribution procedure, which during times of extreme demand, can divert surplus emergency calls to unaffected fire and rescue service control rooms. 

'I'd like to thank all of those colleagues in other fire rescue services who assisted us overnight, as well as our own staff for their hard work and professionalism during this busy period.

'Whilst the worst of the rain now seems to have passed, we continue to work through outstanding calls as well as receive new incidents as Londoners wake to see some of the damage caused by the storms overnight.

'We'd like to reassure Londoners that crews are available to respond to emergencies so please call 999 if you have to.'

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a red heat health alert covering London, the South East, South West, East of England, East Midlands and West Midlands from 1am on Wednesday until 11pm on Thursday.

The warning indicates 'a risk to life for even the healthy population' and highlights the threat to transport systems, power supplies, water resources and businesses.

The travel chaos also hit the London Underground this morning, with the Circle line suspended, severe delays on the Hammersmith & City line and parts of the District line shut.

The Elizabeth line was also hit by severe delays, while services between Heathrow Terminal 4 and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 were suspended due to flooding.