Bottled water handed out after lightning bolt hits transformer and knocks out supply
Bottled water is being handed out to people in south Shropshire after a lightning bolt smashed an electrical transformer in Tuesday's storm.
The bolt knocked out power to a Severn Trent Water booster station which sends water around the system in Church Stretton.
Hundreds of people lost power as the massive storm crossed Shropshire - which also led to some flash flooding elsewhere in the county - but most electricity customers are back on supply.
A spokesman for Severn Trent said this morning: "During the earlier storm, lighting struck the transformer, causing damage and stopping the booster station from working.
"We have engineers working on it. In the meantime, we have arranged for bottled water for those affected; this will be left at the start of the driveway."
The lightning bolt struck the transformer just before 9pm on Monday. The water company warned that "some of the pumps that help us move water around you area have stopped working, meaning that you may experience lower pressure than normal, or your supply may stop completely."
A fire crew from Church Stretton Fire Station was scrambled to an electricity pylon at Lower Wood, in All Stretton at 9.40pm.
They pictured it in flames on the station's Facebook page and a spokesman said they were "taking a very safety defensive approach to this incident but area could be without electricity for a while following the fire."
They sent their stop message at 10.26pm.
One electricity customer who was without power in the SY6 6LF should have power back on at 11am today, according to the National Grid website.
