Freak hailstorm damages cars in North

A freak hailstorm sparked by the hottest July day on record has wreaked havoc in northern England, with ‘golf ball-sized’ hail denting cars, smashing windows and even punching through roofs.

Bodyshops in areas affected by the freak weather are reporting an increase in business due to the huge hail, which damaged around 1,700 cars and is thought to have caused £1.7m in damages. Numerous news outlets were reporting that cars were ‘peppered’ with soft dents and customers were unsure whether or not to have their cars fixed, as they didn’t want to pay the large excess on their insurance policy and potentially lose their no claims bonus.

The carnage came as powerful thunderstorms moved through the UK at the end of a day that saw temperatures peak at 36.7C in London.

More than 19,500 lighting strikes were recorded by the Met Office. Forecasters warned that the continuing heat was generating large amounts of energy that could cause ‘torrential downpours and large hail’, along with the possibility of flash flooding and lightning damage.

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