'It was like the world was ending': Torrential storms trigger flash flood across #Britain with motorists forced to swim for their lives as cars are washed away, 'tornadoes' form and trains are cancelled

A father and his two young children are fighting for their lives in hospital after being struck by a bolt of lightning during a school sports day event.
The man - named locally as George Allen - his five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter are all being treated for severe burns at a hospital in Belfast after they were struck during the organised event at Lisburn in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, at around 2pm.
Mr Allen and his son are described as being 'critically ill' in intensive care while the daughter is said to be in a 'serious' condition.
It is understood the family had been at a school sports day at Killowen Primary School when they were hit.
The school has so far declined to comment on the incident.

A spokeswoman for the South Eastern Area Health and Social Services Trust confirmed that an adult male was in a critical condition at Lagan Valley Hospital and would be transferred to an intensive care unit as soon as practically possible.
The two children were taken by ambulance to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast for treatment to burns
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it sent a number of rapid response and A&E crews to the scene.
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said his thoughts are with the affected family.
Severe storms brought flash flooding and thundery downpours to much of the UK this afternoon – marking an abrupt end to the recent sunny spell.

Cars were left submerged in residential streets and houses set ablaze by lightning strikes as heavy rain, hail and lightning swept in from the West.
Homes in Stoke Newington, North London, and in Midlothian, Scotland, caught alight after being struck by a bolt of lightning as heavy downpours moved in across much of the UK this afternoon, while residents reported feeling like the 'world was ending' when the heavens opened suddenly after lunch.
Large swathes of Britain had been enjoying balmy temperatures well into the mid-twenties until lunchtime, but the recent humidity sparked a surge of thunderstorms and lightning strikes by mid-afternoon.
The Met Office was forced to issue a number of severe weather warnings as floodwater engulfed numerous streets across the south east of England, including in Surrey and south London where cars were seen floating in deep water.

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