Blackpool photo wins Weather Photographer of the Year
- Published
A British photographer has scooped a global prize with his shot of lightning over Blackpool.
Stephen Cheatley's picture depicts the Lancashire seaside resort - known for its annual illuminations - lit up by a more celestial source during a storm.
The amateur lensman beat 4,000 fellow snappers to be crowned Weather Photographer of The Year with his Electric Blackpool image.
Judges said it had been "an extremely competitive year".
Mr Cheatley said he set out after an "intense" summer storm a few days earlier had made him "determined to try to capture some strikes this time".
His persistence was rewarded when, just after midnight, Blackpool's famous promenade was lashed by rain and multiple bolts of lightning.
He said he chose the seafront location to capture some "famous buildings in the shot like the piers and Blackpool Tower".
Mr Cheatley was named overall winner, while prizes were also given in the over-17s and under-16s categories.
Mr Cheatley won a £500 prize, a new camera and a year's membership to the Royal Meteorological Society, which organised the competition.
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The winning entries will be exhibited around England at various locations.