Firefighters battle fire and floods as storms sweep Northamptonshire bringing lightning and heavy rain to Wilby, Earls Barton, Wollaston Desborough, Wellingborough, Grendon, Easton Maudit, Raunds and Rushden

More than 81 calls have been responded to by fire crews as monsoon conditions caused flash flooding and lightning strikes damaged properties.

Worst hit have been Wilby, Earls Barton, Wollaston Desborough, Wellingborough, Grendon, Easton Maudit, Raunds and Rushden.

Deputy chief fire officer Simon Tuhill said: “Sunday was a busy day for us. We would normally be called to between 20-30 incidents over a day, but on Sunday we received more than 40 calls regarding the weather alone, of which we mobilised crews to 20.

“Thanks to pre-planning and our work with partner agencies, we ensured we had sufficient resources for the incidents we were called to across the county and were not required to call for extra support from neighbouring services.

“I want to pay tribute to the hard work of our firefighters, who went above and beyond to ensure the safety of our residents.

“Given the forecast for the coming days, we will continue to work with partner agencies and plan accordingly for appropriate levels of response.”

The timeline of destruction began in Wilby with 999 calls coming in for flooding starting just after 3pm on Saturday (September 21). More than 17 hours later crews took to dinghies to rescue residents.

Timeline of destruction:

Saturday, September 21.

3.06pm – Main Road, Wilby, flooding in property affecting kitchen, hallway and study. A Wellingborough crew isolated electrics.

3.11pm – Main Road, Wilby, advice given at flooding in another property by crew.

3.15pm – White Way, Earls Barton, a small amount of flood water entered ground floor of property. Electrics isolated, advice given to home owners by Moulton firefighters.

3.15pm – Priory Road, Wollaston assisted at domestic flooding.

5.15pm – Arden Road, Desborough, a house struck by lightning. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to reports of a house fire in Arden Road.

Sunday, September 22

9.20am – George Street, Wellingborough, flooding in a building attended by firefighters from Wellingborough.

9.51am – A5199, Guilsborough, a car in flood water was helped by a fire officer.

12.52pm – Washbrook Road, Rushden, when a chimney was struck by lightning making it a dangerous structure. Firefighters removed loose bricks and top from chimney with crews from Wellingborough and Moulton attending.

6.55pm – Station Road, Earls Barton – flooding

7.04pm – Easton Maudit Village – Flooded village. Crews also checked in on care home. Fire Officers used a boat to rescue residents – Mereway, Earls Barton, The Mounts and Wellingborough crews attended.

7.06pm– Hollowell Street, Wollaston – lightning strike to house. Wellingborough crews and fire Officers attended.

7.30pm – Ecton Lane, Sywell, flooding.

7.34pm – Perkins Court, Wellingborough, water through electrics, electrics isolated.

7.51pm – Northampton Road, Wellingborough, flooding on the road.

8.11pm – Easton Way, Grendon Two people walked out of flood water by crews. Earls Barton, Wellingborough and Boat Rescue Unit attended.

8.16pm – North Street, Raunds, water was pumped from street. Irthlingborough crew attended.

8.42pm – Compton Way, Earls Barton, inspected flood water close to house.

10.19pm – Main Road Grendon, flooding in village. A number of properties in the street were visited and crews offered advice to homeowners.

Two people were rescued from the water by crews from Wellingborough and Mereway assisted by the Boat Rescue Unit.

Area Manager Neil Sadler said: “I want to urge members of the public to take care when driving and consider whether they could reschedule their journey. There may be abandoned cars on the road and hazards under the water that aren’t visible.

“We ask people to keep listening to forecasts and follow the safety messages and advice shared by the Fire Service and other partners during this time.”