A holiday home for young cancer patients has been damaged after being struck twice by lightning during the so-called "weather bomb" storm.
No one inside Malcolm Sargent House, the charity holiday retreat for children and young people with cancer and their families on the Ayrshire coast, was injured when the house was struck by lightning twice on Wednesday night.
Four families were evacuated from the Prestwick house, which was due to be filled with people in two weeks for the Christmas celebrations, after the storm hit.
One of the house's chimneys was blown off causing structural damage and leaving the house unsafe for visitors.
The lightning strikes also blew electrical fittings.
The charity said the house has had to close and the families who were staying there have been moved to a local hotel.
The damage comes shortly before Malcolm Sargent House's busy Christmas period.
Several families affected by childhood cancer were expecting to spend Christmas together at Malcolm Sargent House, where a schedule of festive activities had been planned.
It is now uncertain when the house will re-open or whether families will be able to spend Christmas at the house.
Sarah Kielty, of CLIC Sargent, said: "We are incredibly relieved that no one staying at the house was harmed during the storm, and are grateful to the emergency services who responded so quickly.
"We're in the process of assessing the damage to the house and determining when we will be able to re-open.
"We are all hoping that we will be able to re-open in time for Christmas, and will be providing regular updates with any families who are planning to stay with us.
"Being able to stay together over Christmas is so important to the families we support, so re-opening the house as soon as it is safe to do so is our number one priority."
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