A shaken mother and daughter told of their miraculous escape after a lightning strike blew an enormous hole in their roof. Power to their street was also cut after the bolt hit a transformer opposite the house in a freak Fen storm.

Melissa Bullen and her 13-year-old daughter Kayleigh were in the kitchen at the time they heard a bang like "a sonic boom" followed by a bright flash. A socket flew out of the wall and hit Mrs Bullen (37) with such force, it left an a red burn on her arm.

The pair ran outside, fearing the roof would collapse on them.

Part of the upper floor of the two-storey house, in Cattle's Dike, Gorefield, near Wisbech, as well as the roof and chimney, were almost completely destroyed.

But Mrs Bullen said if the lightning had struck just minutes later, her youngest son Sam (7) could have been injured or killed. His bedroom bore the brunt of nature's power - with a concrete sheet falling on his bed and his toys buried under rubble.

She said: "I was standing in the kitchen and Kayleigh was going to fetch the children from school. But it started raining so I told her I would go. Then there was an almighty bang and a big flash.

"The socket shot out and hit me on the arm. I grabbed my phone, ran to the front door and got in the car and called my husband David. We had to get out because I could hear rubble coming down and thought the top of the house was coming down on top of us.

"Apparently they could see the lightning bolt from seven miles away. Fifteen minutes later and Sam would have been in his bedroom under the rubble. It doesn't bear thinking about."

Kayleigh said: "I'm still a little bit shaken up."

The family don't know how much the damage will cost to repair until insurers visit on Monday.

Meanwhile, they are still without electricity and staying with friends.
Mrs Bullen said friends and family had rallied round to help - with a little girl from across the road even starting a collection so Sam could replace some of his broken toys.

She said: "They said we would have to evacuate because the house wasn't safe. Long term, we don't know what's going to happen. My nan died on Good Friday and it's the funeral on Monday. I also lost my mum two years ago so we didn't need this."

Ray Tibbs lives opposite the Bullens.

The retired lorry driver (69) said: "I was putting the kettle on and the electricity went off. Then I heard a crash, bang and wallop. My neighbour said the transformer was smoking."

Firefighters, who were on scene shortly after 3pm on Friday, checked the area with a thermal imaging camera, but found the fire to be totally out.
Station manager for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service Steve Robinson said: "Unfortunately there was absolutely nothing that could have been done to prevent this incident.

"It was a force of nature and it has damaged this house to the point that it is now structurally unsound. Thankfully, however, the mother and daughter in the house at the time escaped any serious injuries."