The lightning came within feet of the baby's cot

The bolt tore through the roof of the Robbins' house in Crownhill and came within a few feet of the sleeping baby after storms hit the city.

Three fire engines were called to tackle the blaze and the Robbins family are now staying with relatives.

Two other properties in the St Budeaux area were also set alight by lightning strikes on Friday morning.

We feel lucky to be alive Peter Bradbeer See more pictures of the storms in Devon

"We heard knocking on the door and that's when I looked up and noticed the loft was on fire."

Elsewhere in the city, a large hole was blasted in the roof of the home of a family of four in Landrake Close.

Householder Peter Bradbeer, 47, said: "We feel lucky to be alive.

"If the lightning had struck three feet either side of where it did, it could have been a different story," he said.

His wife, Veronica; 19-year-old daughter, Michelle, and 13-year-old son, Chris, heard a massive bang as a 12ft by 9ft (3.6m by 2.7m) hole was blasted into their roof above the landing.

Residents in the St Judes area of Plymouth spent much of Friday mopping up after water poured into their homes, in some cases 2ft (0.6m) deep.

There was widespread flash flooding throughout the city affecting roads as well as properties.

Traffic into Plymouth ground to a halt because of flooding around Gdynia Way and the Embankment.