STORMS have struck in York and North Yorkshire as householders were today warned to be prepared for floods.

Heavy rains hit the county yesterday and lightning caused chaos in one North Yorkshire town.

Traffic ground to a halt in Selby after a shop in the high street was struck by lightning.

Firefighters were called to Gowthorpe in Selby at 2.55pm after lightning hit the roof of Sports 4 Less, near its chimney.

The bolt blew a hole in the roof and smashed a window. The windows of a car parked below were also smashed, but no one was injured.

Traffic was halted while police cordoned off the area because of fears that the wall and chimney-stack had become unstable.

The pavement outside the shop was closed to pedestrians and one lane of Gowthorpe was closed, causing delays to traffic.

Shocked bystanders gathered to watch as firefighters from Selby and York used an aerial ladder to clear debris from the scene and make the building safe. A building inspector was then called to secure the area, with the pavement remaining closed this morning.

Stephen Ward, who was working in the Woolworths store opposite when the lightning struck, said: "I saw a flash in the corner of my eye and heard a very loud bang, which sounded like an explosion."

The Environment Agency has issued flood watches for the North York Moors and the Vale of York. The flood watch means that flooding is possible and residents should be prepared.

The rain is expected to continue today and tomorrow.

Weather forecaster Paul Mott, of PA Weather Centre, said there would be a risk of showers throughout today.

He said the East Coast would become drier during the day, but the rain would remain heavy in the rest of the county.

In the early hours of tomorrow morning, more rain is expected to come in from the south-west and there will be showery outbreaks throughout the day.

Mr Mott said he believed some areas of North Yorkshire had seen about an inch of rain yesterday, although only 6mm had been recorded in Church Fenton.

North Yorkshire Fire Service was called to two incidents of flooding near Whitby, just before 2pm yesterday.

Firefighters dug gullies to divert water away from Fat Ox Farm, at Danby, and crews were also called to unblock drains to stop the Hart Inn, in Sandsend, near Whitby, from flooding.

Updated: 10:53 Tuesday, April 27, 2004