A home in Staplehurst was set alight after it was struck by lightning.

Around 16 firefighters were called to Chapel Lane shortly before 2am after the resident smelt smoke.

The strike, during last night's storm, caused cabling and pipework to explode and set fire to the roof of the house.

Once on the scene, fire crews used a fog spike to punch holes into the building, a technique which creates a fine mist of water to douse the flames.

A Kent Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "It dramatically reduces firefighting time and makes it safer for crews."

Firefighters then entered the house and checked it for hot spots using a thermal scanner, to check the fire was out.

Crews managed to limit fire damage to the roof, however there was some water damage to the lower floors, caused by the pipework that had been damaged by the lightning strike.

The occupant waited with neighbours until firefighters left, at around 4.15am.

Firefighters were also called to Folkestone, after a similar incident. There, a home was set alight after lightning struck a TV aerial.