UPDATED: PROPERTIES were struck by lightning and various roads were flooded across Warrington as torrential rain and thunderstorms hit the town this afternoon.
Thunder, lightning and hailstones were in the unseasonal weather mix as traffic was brought to a standstill in and around the town centre.
Two lanes of the M56 eastbound were also closed between junction 10 Stretton and junction nine at Lymm, with five-mile tailbacks following a collision involving a lorry and a van.
At 12.40pm Two fire engines attended from Warrington and Birchwood following reports that a house had been struck by Lightning on Kestrel Lane, Birchwood.
Firefighters attended the scene and found that there was no signs of any fire, but the building had been badly damaged by the lightning.
The damaged property at Birchwood
The crews have also isolated the electricity at the address.
In another incident at 1.30pm two fire engines attended from Stockton Heath and Warrington following reports of a possible house fire in Appleton after a lightning strike.
On arrival there was no signs of a fire. Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to check for any hotspots, and also checked the loft area for any damage.
The crews isolated the electricity at the property and were detained at the scene for around 40 minutes.
At around 2.30pm firefighters from Penketh were dispatched to reports of flooding at an address on Algernon Street, Warrington.
On arrival at the scene the crew found that the flooding had been caused by the heavy rain in the area and the water was around eight inches deep.
Firefighters isolated the electrics at the address and were able to clear the majority of the flood water using a specialist pump.
The crew were detained at the address for around one hour.
At 17:27 firefighters from Lymm were called following reports of flooding at a property on Lymm Road, Agden.
On arrival, the crew found around one foot of water in the basement.
A pump was used to move the water into a nearby field.
All electricity supply to the property was isolated.
Flooding on Chester Road
Flooding on Wilson Patten Street
Two lanes closed on the M56
An awful lot of rain has fallen in the last few hours, please take care when driving around Lymm and especially take care around the normal flooding hotspots #slowdown #takecare pic.twitter.com/09ZDTVt65K
— Lymm Police (@LymmPol) July 28, 2021
Heavy downpours are affecting our roads.
One minute you could be driving on a perfectly dry road to a road affected by heavy rain.
Be aware of changing conditions:
Reduce your speed
Increase braking distances
Give yourself time to think
Turn on your headlights#RoadSafety pic.twitter.com/gESOAYDUZo— Birchwood Fire Station (@BirchwoodFS) July 28, 2021
Thank goodness for a good old fashioned phone box!! #rainingcatsanddogs #warrington #weather ☔️ pic.twitter.com/8z6cvgPgLu
— Gary Skentelbery (@GarySkent) July 28, 2021
Crews attended a lightning strike on a property yesterday
Luckily no one was injured
The property suffered extensive damage & a number of other properties suffered blown electrics
Crews worked alongside other agencies to ensure all occupants & properties were safe #CheshireFire pic.twitter.com/7DbwYyGYuw— Birchwood Fire Station (@BirchwoodFS) July 29, 2021
Residents rally as heavy rain leads to more flooding at Culcheth
