Houses struck by lightning

11:18am Saturday 30th December 2006

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A lightning bolt ripped out part of the chimneys of two Bolton homes.

Crew manager Steve Palmer, of nearby Bolton North Fire Station, heard a "massive bang" before being called to the incident in Green Way, Hall i' th' Wood, at 8.30pm last night.

Mr Palmer said: "It could have been quite nasty had their gas fires been on, because the spark would have caused an explosion and a fire."

He said around 10 householders had complained that electrical appliances had been affected, and some said their telephone lines had also been lost.

Margaret Cranston, aged 60, was watching TV with her husband Gerald when they heard a huge explosion.

"It was frightening - we didn't have a clue what had happened," she said. "Part of the chimney ended up on the ground outside the house, the TV blew off and all the sockets in one of the rooms upstairs came off the wall."

Engineers from the National Grid cut off gas supplies at both homes as a precautionary measure, and a United Utilities electrician was called to assess the damage.