Homes and vehicles damaged in South East thunderstorm

Numerous vehicles and properties have been damaged during the thunderstorm

Houses and vehicles have been damaged during storms overnight.

A tree fell onto a car and a sky light was dislodged due to high winds in a residential road in Littlehampton on Sunday night, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS) said.

Resident Clare Palmer said: "It looks like a war zone."

Ms Palmer said an "intense" level of wind which lasted about 15 seconds sucked her window open and her blinds out the window.

"Obviously it was dark so can't say: 'I've seen a tornado'. But lots of things were getting sucked out of windows. And then within 10 minutes it was really calm and quiet and no rain," she told BBC Radio Sussex.

"We've counted about 20 to 25 car windows that have smashed on our road, including mine," Ms Palmer said.

"It was a really fast increase in wind speed, and then for 10 to 15 seconds, it was absolutely nuts."

Lightning flashes were also spotted over parts of Surrey, including Shepperton and Godalming.

A number of houses and vehicles in Cherry Croft, Littlehampton, were damaged as a result of the storm, WSFRS said.

"This included a tree that had fallen onto a car and a sky light had been removed by the wind, with rain water leaking into the affected property," a spokesperson said.

"Crews helped to make the scene safe and administered first aid to one resident with minor injuries."

A tree fell and numerous properties in Littlehampton, West Sussex, were damaged during the storm

West Sussex County Council's highways team were also informed of an obstruction on a nearby highway.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said there was a chance the thunderstorms could turn "severe", with more storms possible as the remnants of Hurricane Lee, which hit the US and eastern Canada, was set to move across the UK between Tuesday and Thursday.

It will no longer be a hurricane by the time it reaches UK shores.

"That will be getting picked up by the jet stream. Showers in places could be heavy with a risk of further thunderstorms," Mr Vautrey said.

"It could be quite an unsettled, autumnal week to come."

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