Freak electrical storm batters half the country as incredible pictures emerge of ferocious lightning forks and giant hailstones Heavy rain soaks much of the country as fierce thunderstorms hit London Electrical storms also struck across the Midlands and East Anglia Huge hailstones batter Leicester while lightning strikes in Birmingham By Anna Edwards and Lucy Crossley Heavy rain and strong wind has battered much of Britain this evening, with fierce thunderstorms hitting London as the Met Office issued severe weather warnings. Saturday afternoon shoppers were left drenched in fierce downpours across the south, while sports fans at football, rugby and horse racing meetings were hit by torrential rain. London was struck by a fierce electrical storm in later afternoon, with lightning strikes cracking across the sky, pouring rain and hailstones pelting the city. The thunderstorms also struck across the Midlands and into East Anglia, with winds of more than 50mph reported. Lightning strikes: This dramatic picture shows the moment a bolt of lightning struck a building in Birmingham as fierce storms battered Britain Warning: Forecasters have warned of more heavy rain tomorrow in south west England, creating the danger of further flooding on the Somerset Levels Battering: This huge hailstone was spotted in Leicester Birmingham was also hit by lightning, and enormous hailstones were spotted battering buildings in Leicester. Rail travellers and motorists also faced disruption as highways officers were called in to clear trees in Warwickshire and South West Trains services were halted after trees toppled onto the railway lines. There were also delays on the route between London and Norwich after a tree fell onto overhead lines during a storm. And forecasters have warned of more heavy rain tomorrow in south west England, creating the danger of further flooding on the Somerset Levels. The Met Office issued an amber warning of severe weather for the south west, from 6am to 2pm tomorrow, saying: 'More heavy rain will spread east across the area on Sunday. Given the current disruption on the Somerset Levels, the public should be prepared for further flooding. Strike: Lightning and heavy rain hit East Lindsey, Lincolnshire Torrential: The thunderstorms struck across the Midlands and into East Anglia, with winds of more than 50mph reported Bolt from the blue: This lightning strike was captured on camera by Twitter user Craig Banks The chief forecaster said that rain across the UK would be accompanied by strong winds with gusts of up to 80mph, and rainfall accumulations of 10 to 20mm were expected. The Environment Agency has eight flood warnings in place for the south west, which mean flooding is expected and immediate action is required. Somerset County Council has declared a 'major incident' for all areas affected by flooding in the county. Drenched: Heavy rain hits the FA Cup match between Stevenage and Everton Stormy weather: Torrential rain at Doncaster as horses parade before the SkyBet Chase Deputy chief executive Pat Flaherty said: 'Our priority has to be to keep people safe. We are doing everything we can to do this and we believe that declaring a major incident shows just how urgent the situation is for many of our residents and communities. The reason we are taking this action is the long-term nature of the issues we are facing and to enable a consistent approach to the way that we deal with them. The county council will continue its help and support for people affected by flooding which includes a boat service for the cut-off community of Muchelney and Thorney, providing a pontoon bridge at Langport, supporting farmers providing a vital tractor service to communities, keeping roads open and evacuating residents when necessary. Sedgemoor District Council has also declared a 'major incident' on the Somerset Levels. Many communities are still coming to terms with the flooding that hit Somerset at the beginning of January and now face further problems.