Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleLondon experienced a prolonged spell of thunder and lightning overnight, leading to flash flooding and numerous emergency calls. London Fire Brigade responded to approximately 400 calls, including two house fires believed to be caused by lightning strikes and home flooding. In the West Country, thunderstorms on Monday evening caused temperatures to drop and led to brief power outages for hundreds of homes in areas like Shepton Mallet and Bristol. Bristol Airport was forced to close because of “a fault with Air Traffic Control systems”, with passengers advised to contact their airlines. A house fire in Emersons Green, Bristol, was attributed to a lightning strike, with one person injured in an unrelated incident nearby. In fullUK heatwave live: Huge thunderstorms hit Britain as country braces for record-breaking 40C heatThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in