Torrential downpours caused chaos around the Bradford district last night as a house was struck by lightning and homes and roads flooded during the violent storm.

West Yorkshire Fire Service reported 836 calls across the county about weather-related problems, mainly flooding.

Two women were showered with flying ornaments when lightning struck a house in Harden and blasted the gas fire out of the grate. They were shocked but escaped injury.

Edith Gatenby, 68, was sitting in the front room of her terraced home with her daughter-in-law Julie when the freak incident took place.

"The gas fire flew out and on top of us," Mrs Gatenby said. "The television was broken and everything is gone."

A spokesman for Bingley fire station said: "The lightning hit a chimney pot and has gone down the chimney, dislodged the gas fire and knocked it off the wall."

A warehouse in Shipley was evacuated when an electricity sub-station exploded in a fireball.

Firefighters were called out to Water Pitt Mills, off Leeds Road, Windhill, at about 7.30pm when the sub-station next to the building began making "popping" sounds.

Station Officer Gordon Wright said rainwater entered the 11KV station and traders at the mill were evacuated just minutes before the electricity station burst into flames with a massive bang.

"Luckily no-one was injured and everyone was standing away from it," he said.

The explosion left homes without electricity for several hours.

Firefighters were called back to the mill at 6.15pm to rescue a man trapped in a garage after the neighbouring Bradford Beck burst its banks.

Part of Moor Lane in Gomersal was closed to traffic from the Dewsbury Road end, due to flooding.

Peak hour traffic was diverted from the lane which passes Gomersal Park Hotel.

A floodwatch was in operation on the River Aire, with further thunderstorms forecast for today.

But an Environment Agency spokesman said: "River levels have been very low so it's not really had a great effect, but there has been a lot of localised flooding on the roads.

"A Flood Watch has been issued for the River Aire including Gargrave and Skipton. Very unsettled weather is continuing with further showers and thunderstorms today."

Inspector Anne Monaghan, of Bradford North police, said: "We have had a number of calls about problems in Hollingwood Lane and Great Horton Road and roads have been closed in that area."

At Clayton Heights, John Faulding said four 200-year-old cottages in Highgate Road had been flooded out and rooms were six inches deep in water.

As he helped to salvage furniture belonging to his sister-in-law Margaret Faulding, he said: "Whoever heard of being flooded this high above sea level? It's an absolute disaster."

At Shipley station, the downpour closed Platform 4 and the pedestrian underpass became flooded.