Services have been disrupted at a north Norfolk church after it was hit by lightning during a heavy storm on Thursday, 17 August, 2006. A lightning bolt struck the 150-ft high tower of St James' Church in Southrepps, near Cromer. It caused chunks of masonry to break off and damage the roof. Half of the 500-year-old church has had to be closed, disrupting some services.
 | | Rev David Bartlett was in the church |
A marquee is being set up in church grounds for its large family services, while a wedding this weekend will be held in a different part of the building. "We've got a couple getting married on Saturday morning," said the Reverend David Bartlett, the vicar of Southrepps. "They were a little bit shocked when they saw the damage to the church, but we've sorted it out and we're going to do a simple service in the chancel end. Rev Bartlett was in the church when the lightning struck but was unhurt. "There was this huge flash of lightning and then an enormous clap of thunder and all the sounds of everything falling off the roof and crashing to the ground below us," he said. "It was absolutely petrifying - I jumped six feet into the air. "The chimney is just a few feet above my office, to one side of it slightly, so I was very lucky indeed because if the whole thing had come down it would have crashed through my ceiling and into my office," he said. It's expected that the repairs will take four to five months to complete and the cost will be covered by insurance. | 
