WILTSHIRE Fire And Rescue Service attended more than 30 incidents related to the weather during the storms on Saturday.

The control room received more than 100 calls as a severe storm swept over the county, with west Wiltshire particularly affected.

Seven calls related to properties struck by lightning, including two in Vale View, Royal Wootton Bassett where lightning struck the chimneys of the homes, destroying a satellite box at one of them.

A crew from Royal wootton Bassett inspected the properties using a thermal imaging camera.

During the day, flood calls were received from properties in Box, Dilton Marsh, Sherston, Southwick, Bradford on Avon, Atworth, Corsham, Hilperton, Devizes and Brinkworth.

However, Trowbridge suffered from the weather the most, with nine incidents being attended within a few hours – these were at Lambrok Road, St John’s Crescent, Kitchener’s Court, Sycamore Grove, Wyke Road, the town park and Dursley Road.

Although there was a two-hour strike by members of the Fire Brigades’ Union between 11am and 1pm, this did not affect the storm response, as the main problems were either earlier or later in the day.

Area manager John Popowicz said: “This was an extraordinary storm which caused a great deal of surface water in a short time.

“I would give praise to our control room staff, who handled a significant number of calls and also ensured that we maintained resources across the county.”