A MOTHER and her young son were flung three metres across a room as lightning stuck their house in Kidderminster during an electrical storm.

Kate Saunders was holding one-year-old Dylan when the bolt hit the roof of her home in Brinton Crescent last Thursday afternoon as she stripped wallpaper in her bedroom.

The 26-year-old, who had recently moved into the house, had just plugged in an electric stripper when there was a loud bang followed by a big blue flash and she was forced across the room with her son in her arms.

They were left shocked but unhurt by the effects of the lightning strike, which also hit the house of their next door neighbour, Jane Griffin.

Miss Saunders, who also has a six-year-daughter, Leah, said: "It all happened so quickly. We didn't know what happened. We were just in shock. It has blown up the TV, DVD and video players - there's probably a thousand pounds worth of damage."

The bolt also blew all the electrical sockets out from the walls in the house and left black marks on the walls and floors.

Mrs Griffin, who had been ironing when the lightning struck, was left temporarily deaf in her left ear after the bang, which she described as sounding like "a bomb".

She added: "I was in a state of shock. I was literally inches away when I saw the blue flash, a loud bang and then the room filled with smoke.

"I suffer from fits because of an old head injury so I called my daughter, Debbie, who was working over at Foley Fish Bar at the time to come over. She said I was as white as a sheet when she saw me."

The bolt struck the television aerial on the roof of her home, causing her television, Sky Digibox, DVD player and PlayStation to blow up, leaving black ash marks on her floor.

The 37-year-old said she was thankful no-one was hurt, particularly as her 12-year-old son, Jonathan, would normally have been playing on his PlayStation at that time but had gone to West Midland Safari Park for the day with his friends.

She added: "It was terrifying but it could have been a lot worse. It was only material things that were damaged and they can be replaced."

Neighbour, Jane Adderley, who lives opposite Mrs Griffin, said: "I heard the bang and my children were shouting something about a fire. I dashed into the room, thinking we'd been hit and that's when I saw the sparks and smoke coming off the roof opposite. Jane had a lucky escape."

Alec Mackie, spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue, said firefighters from Kidderminster were called out to the houses at around 1.40pm, to ensure both homes were structurally safe, isolate the power supply and ensure there were no fires.