Thousands of lightning strikes lit up the sky overnight, as thunderstorms caused flash flooding and travel disruption across parts of England.

The storms rolled into the south west on Monday evening and moved towards the south east during the night, with people reporting being woken up in the early hours by loud crashes of thunder and flashes of lightning.

London Fire Brigade said it responded to 400 calls overnight, including two house fires believed to be caused by lightning strikes, while a house in Bristol was set ablaze during a storm earlier in the evening.

It comes as England braces for temperatures of up to 40C, with the Met Office issuing a rare red alert set to come into force on Wednesday.