A power cut blacked out the heart of Southend yesterday, leaving homes and businesses without electricity - and lunch - for more than two hours.
The failure stretched along Royal Terrace and Royal Mews into the High Street, causing disruption for customers and staff in a number of hotels and restaurants.
A spokesman for EDF Energy said: "A fuse blew at Pier Hill sub-station, cutting the power supply to 14 properties. This appears to have been caused by an overload.
"Engineers replaced the fuse and made modifications to the network. Supplies were restored at 1.23pm."
The Royal Hotel, on the corner of the High Street and Royal Terrace, lost power in its kitchen.
A hotel spokesman said: "We were not able to prepare food for lunch. The power came back on about 1pm."
Anthony Tomassi, co-owner, of Tomassi's Restaurant, in High Street, said: "It caused a lot of problems."
Published Thursday January 22, 2004
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article