Power cut hits Lancaster businesses

More than 60,000 properties in north Lancashire have been affected by a power cut which has caused major disruption to businesses across the area.

The loss of power also hit Lancaster University and the city’s Town Hall was closed while the outage was being dealt with by engineers.

By mid-afternoon the power had been restored to 53,000 customers, according to Electricity North West.

The company said that it was working to restore supplies to the remaining 10,000 customers affected “as soon as possible.

The loss of electricity led to a number of businesses in the area closing and sending their workers home early.

Lightning was detected in the area before the loss of supplies but Electricity North West said the cause of the fault was currently under investigation.

Electricity North West control room manager, Sam Loukes said: “Our engineers were quickly at the site to determine the issue and start restoring supplies.

“It’s too early to say exactly what has caused the power cut, although we are aware of some bad weather in the area earlier.

“Our focus is now on restoring power to the final properties affected and ensuring that the power stays on.”

Lancaster University's student union sent out a tweet telling students who are facing exams to turn up as usual.

Tom Grattan, Managing Director at Factored said ''The loss of power from midday wasn't ideal, but Lancaster has experienced this before during the floods a couple of years ago. The power cut highlights our reliance on technology and the need to have a backup plan, but like most businesses, we're able to work remotely whilst Electricity North West work hard to resolve the issue.''