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Amazing images emerged on social media of forked lightning crackling in the sky above Worthing
Lightning turned night into day across the UK after thunderstorms battered much of southern Britain overnight causing flash floods which ripped through a Cornish village.
A four-foot torrent of water has ripped through Coverack, Cornwall, on Tuesday night, tearing up roads and damaging homes, while lightning was also believed to have been the cause of a fire in east Sussex.
Rescue services were also sent out to pump water out of properties in the south east overnight after heavy downpours caused water levels to rise.
Meanwhile teams in Kent spent two hours overnight removing water from homes in Tunbridge Wells after sixty emergency calls were made in less than an hour including reports of more than 3ft of water in some properties.
Today more warnings are in place for thunder, heavy rain and possible hail across almost the whole of England and Wales apart from the South Coast, with potential for 1.2in of rain in an hour, or even up to 2in (50mm) of rain where conditions linger.
Emergency services said the first reports of flooding came in from Coverack around 3.40pm, before a major incident was declared at 5.20pm as at least seven people were trapped, including six on a rooftop.
Coastguard helicopters were filmed winching a 70-year-old couple from their home after they also got stranded.
