Lightning strikes behind the London Eye, which was specially lit up to mark the birth of the royal baby

One family was forced from their Bedford home at 6.30am after it was struck by lightning, setting a chimney stack ablaze.

‘There was a huge bang. The whole house shook with the violence of the strike,’ a neighbour said.

The dramatic change in weather came after a three-week heatwave which saw temperatures reach a seven-year high, peaking on Monday at 33.5C in London.