Violent thunderstorms and lightning have hit the county causing house fires, flash flooding and the evacuation of a school.

Torrential downpours and lightning strikes were reported in most parts of the county.

A house in Shepshed, near Loughborough, was badly damaged after being hit by lightning, which set the roof alight.

The detached house, in Forman Road, was struck at 2.45pm during a heavy storm.

The blast left a large hole in the roof and set fire to the bedrooms on the first floor.

Firefighters had to break into the house to tackle the flames, as the woman who lives there was at work.

Incident commander Steve Young said: "The lightning strike damaged the roof and started a fire which was confined to the roof void and the first floor bedrooms. Fortunately, there was nobody in the house at the time so nobody has been injured.

"Unfortunately, a large amount of property inside the house has been damaged."

The householder was understood to be staying with family nearby last night.

Neighbour David Skellington said: "It is a terrible thing to happen. The chances have to be about one in a million."

Elsewhere, our Leicester Mercury photographer captured the Seventh Day Adventist Church, in London Road, Leicester, being struck by lightning around 2pm.

There was no apparent damage to the church, although no-one was available to comment.

In the New Parks area of Leicester, Forest Lodge Primary School was hit by lightning just after 3pm.

Firefighters said they found burning telephone cables at the school, although the pupils and staff had been evacuated.

In Market Harborough town centre, Coventry Road and Northampton Road were swamped as driving rain hit the town shortly after 3pm.

Shopkeeper Malcolm Lever-Jones, who trades in Coventry Road, said: "If I had not got my storm board we would have been badly flooded.

"Yet again the drains in this part of town did not work. They could not cope. The water completely covered the road and drivers were just sending up plumes of water."

He said some other shops in the area had water come in marking their carpets.

Council officers got to the scene shortly after the rain stopped but the water had subsided.

Lightning also hit a garden shed in East Street, Harborough, after bouncing off a tree.

The shed was destroyed.

Resident Kate Fortnum, 70, said: "There was a great crack noise and my windows shattered. A neighbour told me flames were coming from the shed. I looked out and it was badly damaged. It had two freezers inside and they were destroyed."

Did you take any pictures of the storms you want to share with readers?

Send in your weather pictures for publication