Thunderstorms halt comedy festival

The event resumed at about 17:25 BST after a break of just over an hour

Thunderstorms interrupted the Ludlow Comedy Festival on Sunday night as audience members were evacuated from the castle grounds.

A set by Ivo Graham was stopped midway, as organisers urged people to leave the festival site at about 16:10 BST.

They spent just over an hour outside until thunderstorms had passed.

Organisers said they had been tracking lightning strikes as part of their Adverse Weather Plan and had evacuated the castle on advice from their on-site safety advisor.

They thanked audience members for "assisting with this precautionary evacuation" and for "doing so in an orderly and efficient manner", which they said helped in getting the venue open again as soon as possible.

Speaking afterwards, Ivo Graham said he had only managed five minutes of his set and had offered to carry on after the event resumed, but was told it was not possible.

Dark clouds filled the skies over Ludlow on Sunday afternoon

A yellow Met Office warning had been in place for Ludlow and much of Shropshire on Sunday, which also led to bursts of heavy rain.

Sunday's comedy festival was part of a series of live shows at Ludlow Castle that since Thursday have seen performances by The Script, Sam Ryder, Faithless and Texas.