A stormy night in Trowbridge proved that lightning can strike twice, as one street came to terms with its second direct hit in a decade.

Lou Abourachid had to sleep by candlelight after the heavy storm blew all power to her house on Yeoman Way.

In 2005, more than £4,000 worth of damage was caused to the home of former Chippenham and Melksham Town footballer Steve Tweddle, when a bolt struck his house in the same street.

Two fire crews were sent to the street at 6.30pm on Monday, after the lightning hit the roof.

Miss Abourachid said: “The smoke alarms went off and I could smell fumes, then I saw the lightning bolt and heard a massive bang and I could see the debris scattered all over the road.

“It was quite scary, as it was just me here.”

Thermal imaging cameras were used by firefighters to check the house for hotspots.

Electricity was reconnected on Tuesday, after almost 24 hours without power.

She said: “All the light switches had blown inside. They said I should spend the night in a hotel, but it was so late by the time the fire service left it was almost bedtime.

“The neighbours were great. They all rallied round and bought round candles.

“The power’s back on now, but a lot of my things have blown up. The phone line’s still not working and I’ve got no TV or internet.

“I’ve had to go out to charge my phone in the car. You don’t realise how debilitating it is and how dependent we are on having power.”

Neighbour Maureen Smith was also affected by the storm.

She said: “We lost some tiles off the roof and our whole Sky TV system has gone down, but we are all still alive, which is the main thing. It could have been a whole lot worse.”