Snappers have field day as storms light the night

Photographers had a field day as thunderstorms lit up the night sky in parts of eastern England.

A meteorologist said warm weather in France had triggered thunderstorms during late Wednesday and early Thursday.

Snappers stayed up to capture images in Essex and Hertfordshire.

One BBC weather presenter reacted to a thunderclap by tweeting: "Blimey…… almost dropped the phone!"

Photographer Aaron Chesham captured a lightning flash from the seafront in Southend.

"It was around 12:30am," said Mr Chesham, 26.

"I took the picture a couple of minutes after I arrived.

"It was raining but not heavy, heavy rain. It's probably the best weather picture I've taken."

BBC weather presenter Kate Kinsella described what she was seeing and hearing on X.

"Blimey…… almost dropped the phone! That was so loud!!!! #thunder," she wrote.

"Lots of lightning!"

Chris Bell, a meteorologist at Norwich-based weather analysis company Weatherquest, said the storms were triggered by warm weather in France.

He said warm air had been blown in and "glided" over the colder English Channel into southern and central England.

"It's not unusual and was nothing to do with global warming," said Mr Bell.

"This happens several times every year as the weather gets warmer.

"This was the first storm of the year."

He added: "Technically, it's called elevated thunder."

The Met Office has warned that further storms could hit large areas of eastern England throughout Thursday.

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