Residents in the Colne Valley and in Brighouse were woken by the loudest thunder claps some had ever heard.

People were nodding off or already asleep when they were woken by very loud thunder at around 12.30am this morning.

One Marsden resident said: "Loudest thunder I've heard in Marsden. Beautiful lightning."

Another said: "It scared the blooming life out of me."

Householders said they were woken up by the thunder while others said they felt their house shake.

One woman said: "It was certainly a humdinger. The whole house shook. Hubby slept through it all."

Brighouse residents also reported hearing loud thunder.

On Facebook page Brighouse Banter, one resident said: "That was the loudest thunder I have ever heard."

Another added: "I thought there had been an explosion. Never heard thunder that loud."

Over in Bolton - 20-something miles from Marsden as the crow flies - Alan Astbury caught some incredible footage on his phone at around midnight.

He described it as an "amazing thunderstrike" and warned viewers that the strike was so loud and they might want to consider selecting 'low volume' before watching the clip.