The “mother of all thunderstorms” has unleashed spectacular lightning and torrential rain across southern England.
As Scotland enjoyed a sunny bank holiday weekend, the rest of the UK hasn’t been as lucky.
Scores of flights were disrupted after a lightning strike damaged a fuelling system at Stansted.
More than 200 planes were subsequently delayed at the London airport after a concerted series of thunderstorms and often dramatic flashes of lighning.
The airport said in a statement yesterday: “Due to an earlier lightning strike, the aircraft fuelling system was unavailable for a period this morning.
“Engineers have been on site and have now restored the system, however flights may still be subject to diversion, delay or cancellation.
“We apologise for the inconvenience and advise all passengers to check with their airlines for their latest flight updates.”
The London Fire Brigade confirmed it had received more than 500 weather-related calls as the warm and humid bank holiday weather broke down into an “utterly intense” storm.
Western Power Distribution said nearly 1,000 properties had been left without power across the Midlands, with the majority of outages down to lightning.
Meanwhile, residents across the north and north-east took to the outdoors to soak up the high temperatures.
In Aberdeen, the sun was shining for the inaugural Grampian Pride Parade as thousands took part in the march down Union Street on Saturday.
And the Highland capital was a sea of pink as thousands beat the heat during Race for Life Inverness yesterday.
Portree in Skye has enjoyed plenty of sunshine over the weekend, while temperatures in Fort William reached 27C.
Police in Lochaber urged residents to take care as they soaked up the sun.
Sergeant Keith Almond, based in Fort William, said: “While we all enjoy the good weather, experience has shown us there can be a rise in anti-social behaviour in warm weather.
“I would urge anyone who intends to picnic, barbecue or camp at some of the many beautiful spots we have in Lochaber, to be sensible with alcohol consumption and be respectful of local residents and the environment.”