Family's terror as lightning strikes Caldicot house (From South Wales Argus)

Family's terror as lightning strikes Caldicot house

11:36am Monday 16th November 2009

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STORMS look set to lash Gwent again today after a weekend of heavy rain and high winds battered homes.

One Caldicot family was left shocked and shaken after lightning struck their house in the early hours of Saturday.

Joanne and Andrew Sperring, were asleep in their home in Heol Towy, when they heard a loud explosion.

Their 16-year-old daughter, Jasmine, came running into their room and said the house had been struck by lightning.

The bolt had blown a hole in their bathroom ceiling, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Jasmine, who is studying at Nash College, said: "I was reading in my room when it started raining loads at about 1.50am.

“There was a massive flash of light and a bang. There's a massive hole in the roof of the bathroom and loads of damage."

Mrs Sperring said: "My husband and I were sleeping and Jasmine came running into the room screaming. We realised then that we could smell burning and that's when we phoned the fire brigade."

Mrs Sperring, who works as an administrator for the Citizens' Advice Bureau, said she and her daughter waiting in the car, while her husband, Andrew, spoke to the firemen.

A fire service spokeswoman confirmed appliances from Caldicot and Chepstow attended the property.

The family spent Saturday ringing around roofers to try and get the hole covered before further forecast rain caused more damage.

Mrs Sterring said: "We've rang the insurance company and they said they couldn't do anything until Monday so we had to ring around and try and find a roofer to cover the hole and make the house safe. All the sockets have come off the walls. All we can do is start to tidy up."

The Met Office said there was a moderate risk of severe weather affecting all of Gwent today, with 15 to 25 mm of heavy rain expected.

High winds are also expecting with gusts of up to 50mph.

Flood warnings were in place last night in undefended parts of Monmouth, and a flood watch was in force along the River Wye in Monmouthshire.

Even more heavy rain is expected later in the week.

On Thursday the Met Office predict rainfall of between 30 and 50mm, with 70mm on higher ground.

Coastal areas warned of flood risk

PEOPLE living along the coast in South Wales were warned of a risk of sea flooding last night by the Environment Agency and the Met Office. Councillor Tom Suller of St Brides said although the reens were quite high flooding was not seen in the area, while Cllr Martyn Kellaway added he had seen no flooding around the Goldcliffe, Nash and eastern coastal areas when he visited them yesterday. Residents should check the latest information at www.environment-agency.gov.uk or by calling 0845 988 118. Meanwhile travel woes for commuters between Chepstow and Newport should be resolved today. Network Rail said last night it is hopeful work to clear the landslip on the railtrack near Chepstow and secure the rock face will be complete. This means services between South Wales and Gloucestershire should return to normal this morning.

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