STORMS broke Suffolk's spell of blisteringly hot weather, with thunder and lightening waking residents at dawn today.During the weekend sun beat down on more than 500 youngsters take part in the British Crabbing Championships at Walberswick.

STORMS broke Suffolk's spell of blisteringly hot weather, with thunder and lightening waking residents at dawn today.

During the weekend sun beat down on more than 500 youngsters take part in the British Crabbing Championships at Walberswick.

Beaches were packed at Felixstowe as sun-seekers went to cool off with a dip in the sea.

And the heat was also on for Ipswich Horse Society's summer show and an international country music festival at the Suffolk Showground at Bucklesham.

Evening Star weatherman Ken Blowers said the temperature exceeded 28 (82F) degrees centigrade in Ipswich yesterday – while it touched 29C at Wattisham Airfield, just behind Gravesend in Kent as the hottest place in Britain at 30C.

Felixstowe business owners enjoyed a bumper weekend, with ice lollies and ice creams being high on the sun-seekers agenda.

Amusement and attraction owners also enjoyed a reprieve from the miserable weather and down turn in business seen earlier this month as winter coats were more suitable compared to the bikinis seen on the beaches at the resort this weekend.

Stan Harris, owner of the children's rides and amusements near the pier, said: "It was pretty good for a change, the weather was nice. Sunshine makes a world of difference. It is back to what it should be."

He said he had not seen as many people sunning themselves on the beach since the busy and warm golden jubilee weekend.

But although temperatures – which have been in the high 80s – are expected to remain high, the summer sun which our county has basked in since Thursday onwards, has now ended abruptly.

Mr Blowers said this morning's storm had been an isolated one, which moved up from Kent along the Essex and Suffolk coast.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk Fire Service said at 7.57am, crew attended a tree which had been struck by lightening, at the side of the railway line at Wherstead.

Wattisham Airfield reported 30.8mm, (almost an inch and a half) of rain overnight.

The storm left a humid start to the day, and Mr Blowers predicted long sunny periods, 82 degrees but with an increasing risk of more thunderstorms tonight.

He said: "From Tuesday night the weather will go downhill, and Wednesday will probably be the worst day this week. There will be very heavy rain and thunderstorms.

"The end of the week will see everybody feeling cooler. Instead of 28 degrees, it will be about 23 – a 10 degree Fahrenheit drop – by the close of the week."