The owner of the house which was wrecked after a lightning strike last night has expressed her “frustration” at being so far away from home and thanked Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Mrs Sylvia Cook and her husband Terry are at their holiday home in Greece, where they are waiting to hear back from their insurance and assessors about their house in Littlejohn Avenue, Melksham.

Mrs Cook said: “The fire service has been brilliant.

"The worst thing is not getting any information, not knowing what is happening.

“Last night was very frustrating after hearing about the fire, 1.30am our time 11.30 in UK, as we could not do anything or find out the extent of the fire until early this morning.

“There is no point booking a flight unless we know we can get into the property.

“We have now spoken to our insurers to get the ball rolling.

"Our friend who checks up on the house while we’re away is a tremendous help, as are the neighbours.”

Fire crews from Trowbridge, Devizes, Corsham and Warminster were all involved in dealing with the blaze.