Nobody who was there will forget the 2006 Broadwater Carnival which quite literally went with a bang.

As the procession was passing through the village, day turned to night and a storm erupted overhead.

Adults flinched and children cried out as deafening thunder and lightning, accompanied by torrential rain and even hail, ripped the skies.

As thousands of spectators scattered for cover the fire brigade, bringing up the rear of the carnival, also broke ranks to attend multiple lightning strikes in the Worthing area.

But the rest of the procession, soaked to the skin but still waving, braved truly horrendous and at times terrifying conditions to reach its destination a flooded Broadwater Green, where a man suffered minor burns to his hand when lightning struck his umbrella.

Carnival organiser Penny Keen said: "There were people on the floats, absolutely drowned, arriving at the green waving as if nothing was happening. They got really loud cheers and applause.

"When the rain stopped people came back, which was absolutely brilliant. It was splendid the way everybody rallied round. The samba band were at the back and they came in still playing.

"Then they went home, got changed and returned to do their bit in the arena.

"It is only in England where you can get that sort of weather and people still come back out."

Early on Saturday, at about 3.15am, there had been a thunderstorm but nothing to compare with the conditions eight-and-a-half hours later.

As the revellers assembled in the car park of Northbrook College, off Carnegie Road, nobody could have forecast what was to come.

The procession was led by carnival princess Saskia Tappin, ten, of Westcourt Road, Worthing, who was attended by Chloe Leighton, eight, of Chester Avenue, Worthing, and Sian Smith, eight, of Lanfranc Road, Worthing.

They were accompanied by Tom and Leslie Wye, mayor and mayoress of Worthing, plus the kilted Ramsay Caledonia Pipe Band, from Hamble, Hampshire, which caused some amusement as the theme of the carnival was Merry England.

Floats had been entered by Worthing Silver Band, dressed up as Robin Hood's band of merry men; Broadwater Community Association, whose members became medieval serving wenches, noblemen and young urchins, complete with a set of stocks to keep them in check; and Worthing Boys' Club, which chose a red and white England World Cup theme.

The Arun Valley Poultry Club's Sound of Music entry was more Austrian than English, featuring numerous nuns and Julie Andrews lookalikes.

Up to 20 youngsters became hula-hula girls, complete with grass skirts and colourful garlands, to highlight Tantara's Wish, one of the causes to benefit from the bucket collection en route.

Tantara's Wish was named after Tantara Stillwell, who along with her sister Ella, was diagnosed with a rare and incurable genetic disease called von HippelLindau (VHL) syndrome, which was passed on by their father Alan, also a sufferer.

VHL is an inherited condition which causes tumours throughout the body and some of the proceeds from the carnival will go towards a research programme at the University of Birmingham.

A notable feature of this year's procession, before the weather interrupted, was the profusion of music, provided not only by the pipe band, the silver band and Celebration Samba but also South Coast Astralettes pompom troupe, Worthing Sea Cadets and TS Implacable, from Littlehampton.

The carnival wound its way along Carnegie Road and South Farm Road into Queen Street and then via Broadwater Road to Broadwater Street West.

It was as the parade was swinging from Queen Street past the Manor Ground that the sky darkened and the first rumbles of thunder, accompanied by forked lightning, made their ominous appearance.

Former mayor Councillor James Doyle, dressed as a Crusader, fellow councillor Ann Barlow, wearing a shocking blue wig, and Splash FM presenters Dave Hunt and Simon Osborne looked anxiously at the heavens but kept smiling.

Then all hell broke loose, with hordes of people previously lining the pavements running for shelter into nearby shops, under the concrete canopy at Cricketers Parade, and into the Cricketers and Broadwater pub.

Firefighters reported seeing simultaneous lightning strikes and prepared for action, their engines' flashing blue lights suddenly taking on a far more serious meaning.

At the northern end of Broadwater Green, Councillor Wye reported hail the size of small marbles which left stallholders wallowing in several inches of standing water.

Coun Doyle and his policewoman wife Mel entertained the huddled masses with an impromptu dance on the green, fully exposed to the deluge.

It was not quite the perfect end to the parade but summed up the never-say-die attitude of Worthingites.