Two men threw wet towels on a blazing bed after lightning struck their 18th-century farm.

James Dykes, 22, and his brother Colin, 20, were working on a computer last Friday night when lightning hit their farmhouse at Stanbury.

Their father, car mechanic Jim Dykes, describes the drama. "It was shortly after 6pm," he says. "My wife Sheila was at home with the two boys. She was actually in the kitchen doing the Keighley News crossword at the time.

"There was an almighty flash and a bang which was so loud that one of my sons was deafened for a few minutes afterwards."

The bang blew both the computer and other wiring.

"After the bang, Colin went to see if James was OK," says Mr Dykes. "When he went back into his bedroom, his bed was well ablaze.

"The lads soaked some towels with water and threw them on the bed.

"If there hadn't been anyone at home at the time, the house would have burnt down. I hate to think what might have happened.

"The telephones need replacing because they're not working at all. The lines are back to normal but the phones themselves seem to be totally blown."

He believes lightning struck metal on the side of the house and travelled right through the building.

Pub landlord Roger Mitchell, 49, was in the Wuthering Heights opposite Mr Dykes' farmhouse when the storm broke over the hilltop hamlet.

"I was preparing to open up for Friday night when the thunder started," he says. "Then there was a horrendous flash and bang which only lasted a minute or so.

"My TV and satellite machine were blown out.

"I've never heard such a loud noise in all my life."

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