Rare 'lightning rainbows' captured during storms in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire

The lighting and a rainbow was captured by BBC Weather Watcher "Head in the clouds" in Graveley, Hertfordshire

Rare "lightning rainbows" have been photographed during the thunderstorm across parts of the East of England on Tuesday night.

The pictures were taken by BBC Weather Watchers in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

Several roads in the East of England also flooded as temperatures of 30C (85F) turned to heavy rain and hail.

A weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office for much of England for Saturday and Sunday.

BBC Weather Watcher "cinderemma" took this photograph in Stotfold, Central Bedfordshire

The lightning and the rainbow was also pictured by "niknak1970" in Stotfold

Meteorologist and BBC forecaster Dan Holley said lightning and a rainbow together does not "happen particularly often in any one location, primarily because thunderstorms don't happen often".

He said it happens during a thunderstorm with "the sun shining on the falling rain to create a rainbow as the sunlight gets refracted and reflected by water droplets.

"The viewer would need to be located between the thunderstorm and the sun, with their back to the sun."

BBC Weather Watchers also captured the lighting during the storms.

Flitwick, in Bedfordshire, was hit by lightning as photographed by BBC Weather Watcher "Mrg"

BBC Weather Watcher "tommyk" took this photo during the storm in Harpenden, Hertfordshire