GRANDMOTHER Mary Jones has told how she was planning to hide in a cupboard to escape the storms, then realised her house was on fire.

The terrified 81-year-old was on her way downstairs when she heard banging at her front door.

Neighbour Graham Marshall ran over to rescue Mrs Jones after he saw lightning strike her house, setting the front room on fire.

Grandmother-of-eight Mrs Jones, of Owton Manor Lane, Hartlepool, was woken by the fierce storms. She said: "I was awake, sitting upstairs on my bed because I am terrified of lightning. I heard cracking, like a window had been hit, but I did not know it was mine.

"I thought 'I am going downstairs to sit in the cupboard'. I put my dressing gown on and then I heard banging at the door."

Mr Marshall, 42, said: "The storms woke me and I happened to be looking out the window when I saw a bolt of lightning strike the television aerial.

"It went down the aerial and set the curtains on fire, and I could see the flames from across the road.

"I just put my clothes on and ran across the road, banged on the door and got her out."

In another incident, firefighters from Peterlee, County Durham, went to Fleming Court, Shotton, at 6.30am after lightning struck the roof of a house, scorching roof timbers.