Roads and property flooded in NI thunderstorms

A car was stuck in flood water off Lisburn Road in south Belfast

Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in some parts of Northern Ireland this afternoon.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms across eastern counties which ended at 17:00 BST.

This alert warned of the potential for damage to buildings and difficult driving conditions, although rain is expected to continue into the evening.

Police have warned motorists in Belfast to be cautious on the roads due to the weather.

Officers said Milltown Road and Hospital Road were "impassable city bound due to flooding in the area".

Man-hole covers also lifted on Belvoir Road and Upper Knockbreda Road due to the rainfall.

A car was stuck in floodwater on the Lisburn Road, causing the route to be blocked.

Myrtlefield Park, off the Lisburn Road in Belfast, experienced flooding

Police also advised motorists to avoid Stockman's Lane and to seek an alternative route.

Along with the thunderstorms, lightning was also spotted in some locations.

Lightning was spotted across Belfast on Tuesday afternoon

In Ballymena, police said the Lisnevenagh Road was impassable for traffic travelling into the town.

Matthew Neilly, owner of Fig Design Company, a florist and interior design store in Ballyclare, County Antrim, reported his shop had flooded for "the third time".

"It literally became a river today," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra.

"My heart broke. All I could do was grab cushions and throws and threw them against the door to try and stop the water."

Mr Neilly estimated that about upwards of £6,000 worth of stock may have been damaged.

He said the store would be closed on Wednesday for a "major clean-up".

Fig Design Company shared an image on Facebook showing the flooding damage on Main Street in Ballyclare

Steve Aiken, an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MLA for South Antrim, said emergency services were dealing with floods in Ballyclare and additional support was "on its way".

The former UUP leader added that sand bags were being made available for the public beside the town hall.