BREAKING: Thunder and lightning stops Manchester Pride

Thunder and lightning has put a temporary halt on proceedings at Manchester Pride this evening.

Just after 6pm on Saturday, August 26, audiences who had turned up to the Alan Turing stage in Sackville Gardens to enjoy the Queer Asian Takeover were told the show would be stopped temporarily due to ‘adverse weather’. On the stage, performers told the crowd to stay clear of metal barriers in anticipation of a storm passing - with flashes of lightning seen just moments later.

The stage continued to pump out music as crowds dispersed, ironically choosing Madonna’s Ray of Light as one of the first on the playlist.

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A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in place across the UK, with flood alerts in place near Greater Manchester.

Thunder can be heard across Greater Manchester this afternoon as rain begins sweeping the region. The Met Office has said: "Slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms may cause some localised flooding and disruption on Saturday afternoon."

The yellow weather warning will be in place until 8pm this evening (August 26) when rain is expected to ease in the north west. Meanwhile, a flood alert has been put in place by the Environment Agency around St Helens and Warrington.