A dramatic lightning strike has destroyed a large tree in a Reading park amid a storm that kept residents across the area awake overnight.

Thunder and lightning hit the town at around 1am this morning. 

The storm saw a lightning strike reduce a 30-ft tall tree to broken branches and splintered wood in Cintra Park. 

Residents in Reading posting on social media said other lightning strikes had set off car alarms and hit telephone poles. 

Reading Borough Council has been contacted for further information about disruption caused by the storm. 

The Met Office had issued a yellow warning for ‘heavy and thundery rain’ across southern England across Saturday night and Sunday morning. 

Up to 100mm of rain was expected fall in some areas by Sunday evening.

The Met Office forecasts showers and blustery winds for the region during the week ahead.

In a statement, a Met Office spokesperson said: "Looking further ahead, and we’re likely to see fresher, cooler temperatures sweeping across the UK, becoming notably cool in the north by mid-week.

"Conditions look to remain generally unsettled during next week, with showers or longer spells of rain at times for most regions, accompanied by blustery winds."