A house has been badly damaged after being struck by lightning, blowing a hole in the roof.

It happened in Thursby, near Carlisle, as thunderstorms hit the area.

Emergency services were called at 4.45am.

Firefighters from the Carlisle West station rushed to the scene.

A spokesman said the occupants were awoken by a large bang as lightning struck the roof and travelled through the house.

All of the doors blew open and there was a smell of burning from the electrics.

All of the plug sockets were damaged along with the fuse board and electrical mains.

Nobody was hurt and everyone was out of the property.

Firefighters spent an hour checking the house was safe.

It came as thunderstorms hit the Cumbria area amid a Met Office weather warning, which remains in force this morning.

Many residents in the Carlisle area were awoken by the sound of thunder and flashes of lightning.

Power cuts hit homes in rural areas around Penrith, Keswick and Carlisle.

A small number of homes in the Appleby area are without power this morning.

Engineers are working to rectify the problem.