Rail services hit after storms

Overnight storms have led to yet another day of difficulty for commuters with lightning strikes meaning disruption to rail services.

A weather warning remains in place, with heavy showers and more thunderstorms expected.

On the railways, First Great Western services are affected by storms in the Bath Spa area. Lightning damaged equipment between Melksham and Chippenham in Wiltshire, with the lines between Swindon and Bath Spa/Westbury currently closed.

A shuttle train service is now in place between Chippenham and Swindon.

The Met Office says the bad weather is set to continue. Forecaster Nicola Willis says there was between 10mm and 20mm of rainfall over a four-hour period - a third of the expected monthly rainfall.

She went on: "That is quite a significant amount of rain. There have also been quite a few lightning strikes over that period."

Motorists have been warned of the risk of surface water after the heavy downpours.