Lightning strikes and flooding have been reported after Cornwall was hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms on Saturday.

While the rain has moved over much of the west of the Duchy, earlier on Cornwall was hit by a deluge of rain, as well as thunder and lightning. Hail was also seen in some parts, including Helston.

The Met Office has said Cornwall has been worst hit so far, with "most of the thunderstorms" reported in the Duchy. 

Lightning over Helston this morning (Image: Natalie Clift) Firefighters were called to Newlyn at 9.20am after a shed was struck by lightning, causing it to catch on fire.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: “A fire appliance from Penzance was mobilised to multiple calls reporting a fire following a lightning strike.

“The crew located a shed on fire and proceeded to extinguish the blaze using breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet.”

There have also been reports of flooding at Tesco Extra in Pool, with a video on Facebook showing people wading through the entrance foyer.

The area around Mark Strand in Falmouth also experienced heavy flooding, with a river of water running down the street.

Flooding at Market Strand in Falmouth. Video: Tina Legassick

According to the Met Office, Cornwall has been the most affected area so far today.

Meteorologist Becky Mitchell told the Press Association: “The area we have seen most of the thunderstorms so far has been Cornwall, and there’s been some large hail reported there as well.”

She added that Cornwall had also seen lightning and warned there was “probably quite a lot of water on the road”, after reports of about 30mm of rainfall in the area, which could lead to “tricky driving conditions”.

“The only other place I’ve seen some thunder strikes was quite early this morning, about 6am, and that was in the Surrey and Oxfordshire region,” the meteorologist said.

She added: “We have got heavy showers across Wales and London at the moment too.

“We haven’t seen any thunderstorms with these showers yet but there’s still quite a while to go through the afternoon when we could potentially see some more.

“Typically as the afternoon goes on, we’ll see higher temperatures and the heat can help trigger the thunderstorms to kick off, so I expect through mid-afternoon we’ll see some more widespread ones.”

A weather warning for thunderstorms and heavy rain is currently in force across much of southern England and Wales.

The yellow warning, which covers all of Wales and south-west England, the Midlands and parts of south-east and northern England, came into effect at 1am and lasts until midnight on Sunday.

Further heavy, thundery showers, potentially accompanied by large hail, are expected across parts of Wales and southern England today. Some affected areas could see 50 to 80mm of rain.

Flood water running down into Market Strand in Falmouth

Ms Mitchell said the weather is expected to remain “unsettled” over the next few days, with “potential for some localised flooding”.

A weather warning for rain will come into force on Sunday for Wales and central south-west England before another comes into effect on Monday, stretching to cover areas further east and further north as well.

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