The Shard struck by lightning during London storm

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Hundreds of people watched in amazement as the Shard, Europe’s tallest building, was repeatedly struck by lightning during a storm in London on Thursday.

A picture taken by Michael Hoskinson from his office across the Thames shows a single bolt hitting the top of the skyscraper.

Video footage also showed dramatic strikes, which hit the building several times according to some witnesses.

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

Standing at a height of 306m, it is the tallest building in the European Union.

Many people saw the lighter side of the storm and parody pictures of a lightning-fingered Boris Johnson and the Shard as Sauron’s tower in Lord of the Rings quickly appeared.

The storm caused havoc in the capital, sending people scuttling for cover and flooding some train stations with torrential rain.