Lightning strike affects Church Stretton water supply

Residents in part of Shropshire have been left without water after a lightning strike stopped a supplier’s booster station from working.

Bottled water was delivered on Tuesday to affected people in Church Stretton following thunderstorms the day before.

Heavy rain also saw residents helped by firefighters in Much Wenlock and Ellesmere as homes were flooded.

Several businesses were also forced to close due to flooding.

The lighting strike in Church Stretton hit a pylon and affected an electrical transformer at about 21:40 BST on Monday, the fire service said.

Engineers were working to fix the booster station but repairs were proving “trickier than we first expected”, a spokesperson for water firm Severn Trent said.

In Much Wenlock, the fire service said the homes of several elderly people on High Street were damaged by floodwater from about 19:45 BST.

Reverend Matthew Stafford, who works in the area, praised firefighters for helping residents.

Water was pumped out of cellars in several homes and “lots of sludge” was left on Tuesday, he said.

Much Wenlock’s leisure centre closed early on Monday as staff said heavy rain had flooded part of the building.

On Barrow Street, the electrics in one elderly resident’s home were damaged by water, the fire service said.

The town’s William Brookes School was closed to students on Tuesday except to those taking exams.

Elsewhere in Much Wenlock, The Gaskell Arms hotel and restaurant was shut due to severe flooding, staff posted on Facebook.

Water was “coming in like a waterfall” in the cellar on Monday evening and had damaged carpets, worker Chris Bond said.

“I’ve had a mess to clean up this morning. That’s my baby, that cellar,” he added.

In Hillcrest, Ellesmere, several properties were flooded on Monday.