Storm damage forces BBC Look East off air

Storm damage has forced BBC Look East's weekend bulletins off air, after rainwater damaged technical equipment in the regional TV studio.

Cameras, lights and other equipment were affected by the water leaking into the TV studio, at The Forum in Norwich, following a thunderstorm in the early hours of Saturday.

The evening bulletin at 17:40 BST was unable to be transmitted and a combined regional service will come from the BBC London studio until further notice.

"Rainwater has got into the Look East studio affecting technical equipment," said a BBC spokesperson.

"While repairs are made Look East will share TV bulletins with BBC London - with stories from both regions.

"We hope to be back up and running soon."

The water is believed to have leaked through the ceiling in the city centre building.

Radio and online newsroom operations, also based at The Forum, have been unaffected.

Sunday's broadcast of Politics East also went ahead as usual.

BBC Look East covers Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk.

Several shops in Norwich city centre were also affected on Saturday by the aftermath of the thunderstorm.

In John Lewis, on All Saints Green, ladies' clothes rails were spotted pushed to one side of the store and covered in polythene.

The company said the rain had caused issues before it opened on Saturday.

It had to briefly stop serving hot food in its restaurant and temporarily close parts of its gift and jewellery sections before they all resumed trading as normal in the afternoon.

It added the clothes on rails were protected in case of water leaks.

A John Lewis spokesman said: "Thanks to the hard work of our team, our shop is trading as usual.

"We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate customers patience as we've responded to the heavy rain."

Shoppers in Marks and Spencer were also warned by staff that the ground floor had been disrupted.

A company spokeswoman said: "Our store on Rampant Horse [Street] only saw a small impact and was open for trading today as normal."

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