Fire crews called out as Washington home hit by lightning

During today's storms lightning struck the corner of a detached house in Bramhall Drive causing a hole in the roof.

A crew from Washington and another from Birtley Fire Station were called to the scene at 15.53pm by neighbours who saw the lightning strike.

No one was in the house at the time.

Crew manager Hall from Washington said: "It's an unusual incident, it's the first time I've been called out to something like this in my career. It doesn't seem to have struck an aerial or electrical cables and didn't cause a fire.

"But it did cause a hole in the roof with roof tiles coming loose. The crew from Birtley are still on the scene and have put a sheet across the roof to make sure the rain doesn't get in. Thankfully, nobody has been hurt."