STATISTICS indicate you are four times more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery.

The odds are widely reported as one in ten million.

But Jeremy Hagon, a photographer with a penchant for snapping extreme weather, was ten when he first saw lightning strike the ground while driving back to Colchester with his parents near Stanway.

It is a phenomenon which Jeremy, 43, has now seen twice and admits it “scarred him for life” - which is part of the reason why he is lobbying MP Will Quince to support his plea to the Department for Education for more widely available public safety advice during storms.

He said: “When I first saw lightning strike, I remember this big bolt of light and the crash and bang.

“It totally freaked my mum out who was also in the car. It was so scary.

“Just recently I was at an event in Colchester and it began to storm but all of the adults ran underneath a tree.

“That and speaking to friends, made me realise there’s no immediate action to educate people.

“When I was a child, my parents would tell me to get indoors but I feel that message has been lost.”

Gazette:

Photo: Jeremy Hagon

Last year, three people in Essex were admitted to hospital following a lightning strike.

Between 2013 and 2016, 61 people were hospitalised in England, according to figures obtained by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Last week when thunder storms hit the UK, the Met Office said an estimated 5,000 strikes hit in 24 hours.

A Freedom of Information request filed by Jeremy revealed the Department for Education does not have a specific policy for schools relating to severe weather or a nearby thunderstorm.

There is also no legal requirement for schools to have an emergency plan in place.

The dad-of-two, from Lexden, wants to see this changed, especially for employees who work outside.

He said: “Having photographed storms, I’m acutely aware of the risks because you see lightning in a frozen state.

“It’s mesmerising but the power of nature shouldn’t be underestimated.

" People also don’t realise thunder is the product of lightning so if you hear it, there’s a chance of you being struck.

“It doesn’t matter whether there are blue skies.”

What you should know about lightning:

  • Lightning will always be seen before thunder as thunder is the product of a lightning bolt
  • There are three different ways of being struck by lightning
  • To stay safe you should find shelter inside a large building or a motor vehicle keeping away from, and getting out of wide, open spaces
  • It is advised to stay here until 30 minutes past the last clap of thunder
  • NEVER shelter beneath tall or isolated tree
  • If you cannot get inside a shelter, make yourself as small as possible by crouching down with your feet together, hands on knees and your head tucked in