A historic lighthouse which suffered damage after being struck by lightning has reopened following repairs.

Eastern Daily Press: A lightning strike caused storm damage to The Old Lighthouse, Hunstanton, which has now been repaired and reopened Picture: Courtesy of Norfolk Coast Holiday CottagesA lightning strike caused storm damage to The Old Lighthouse, Hunstanton, which has now been repaired and reopened Picture: Courtesy of Norfolk Coast Holiday Cottages (Image: Courtesy of Norfolk Coast Holiday Cottages)

The Old Hunstanton Lighthouse was caught amid heavy showers and thunderstorms on July 27 and was directly hit by lightning in the early hours of the morning.

Fire crews from Hunstanton and Heacham attended the scene at around 6am, isolating the electricity and making the building safe.

The iconic landmark located on the cliffs of Hunstanton was closed for just over a week while repairs were made to masonry damage at the top of the lighthouse turret tower, and to the main fuse board which was blown by the strike.

Extreme weather wreaked havoc on the coastline and the lightning strike to the lighthouse knocked out power and forced out guests that were staying at the self-catering property at the time.

However Norfolk Coast Holiday Cottages, which manages the lighthouse, was able to accommodate them at its nearby property Sea Folly.

Repairs on the 18th century building were carried out by Hilltop Builders, Wisbech Electrical and Wensum Painters, and meant guests arriving the following week were not disrupted.

'Our guests often say how much the lighthouse's position overlooking the sea and with views of Norfolk's big skies offers a fantastic experience,' said Norfolk Coast Holiday Cottages director Jac Sandy.

'However the extreme weather of the recent storm was incredible and on this occasion The Old Lighthouse took a strike from mother nature.

'We are obviously relieved that no-one was hurt by the strike to the lighthouse and are enormously grateful to the businesses which helped us to restore order and get things back on track for guests arriving the following week.'

The lightning strike followed a dramatic change in weather when an amber weather warning was issued for East Anglia.

In what was described as one of their busiest days of the year, emergency services dealt with a large number of calls due to heavy rain, intense thunder and lightning storms and giant hail stones.

After temperatures picked up again at the beginning of this month, it is unlikely to rise past 25C for the remainder of this week.