LIGHTENING struck a clocktower on the roof of a shopping centre.
Shoppers ran for cover when the clocktower in Crowborough was struck just before 5pm today.
Witnesses reported hearing a cracking sound before debris from the Fernbank Centre, in High Street, smashed onto the floor.
Road closures are still in place as emergency services work at the scene.
No-one is thought to have been injured.
A spokesperson for East Sussex Fire and Rescue service said fire-fighters were called at 4.50pm.
She said: "The shopping mall was struck by lightening. There was a loud bang and there was a lot of debris so the crews there are making it safe."
Crews from Wadhurst and Mayfield attended the scene, borrowing an aerial platform ladder from Brighton, she added.
Police also attended to help close off the scene, a Sussex Police spokesman said.
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