The Shard hit by lightning - Western Europe's tallest building lit up by storm

Lightning hit The Shard in central London during a storm on May 22

A huge bolt of lightning directly hit The Shard during a sudden downpour in central London.

Photographs taken from across the Thames showed a single bolt hitting the top of the skyscraper during a torrential downpour on Thursday.

One writing on Twitter said the spectacle was “like something out of a movie”.

Another said: "It was like something out of a science fiction movie. Because the Shard is all glass, it looked like the tip of the tower was fusing with the sky, and going all molten."