A 67-year-old Gloucestershire resident, Liz Odell, narrowly escaped a severe incident when lightning struck her Nailsworth home on April 15, causing extensive damage. Fortunately, she was away in Cambridge at the time.
Upon returning, Liz found her house without power and many essential devices completely destroyed, including her television, music system, and internet equipment. She believes the lightning likely hit her aerial, triggering a chain reaction of damage.
“My neighbour texted me saying my house had been hit by a lightning bolt and my alarm was going off — even though I hadn’t set it,” Liz recounted. The power disruption caused the alarm to activate unexpectedly.
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The lightning strike devastated the aerial junction box and burnt out a bathroom ceiling lamp. Electricians are currently undertaking a comprehensive rewiring of the entire first floor after struggling to locate the break in the circuit. Carpets have been lifted and holes drilled in the floor as part of the repair process.
The strike also destroyed Liz’s fuseboard, television, sound bar, subwoofer, music system, and internet router and BT box. Moreover, her gas boiler was rendered useless, leaving her without central heating or hot water.
Liz feels extremely fortunate to have been away at the time. “If I’d been in the shower or touching anything when it happened, I may well not be here,” she said.
Despite the significant damage to her electrical appliances, visual signs of the lightning strike are minimal. The only obvious evidence inside the home is a scorched downlight in the bathroom ceiling.
Upon arriving home on that dark evening, Liz immediately noticed the absence of power. “None of the ceiling lights were working,” she said. “I initially thought it was a fuse issue, but after attempts to reset it failed, I realized an electrician was needed. The next day, I discovered my heating and hot water weren’t working either.”
Liz, who has lived in the home for almost 16 years, described the event as unprecedented. “Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, so hopefully this is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence,” she reflected.
Her neighbour, Steve Robinson—chairman of Gloucestershire County Council and a Labour District Councillor—reported that several nearby homes were also affected by the lightning strike.
“It was a really loud bang, huge—something I’ve never heard before,” he said. “It damaged our Sky Q box and our router, and tripped other systems. At least four houses were impacted, but none as severely as Liz’s.”
The community continues to recover from the incident while Liz’s home undergoes repairs.