Homes in St Albans are among 5,000 to have suffered a power cut today (Monday, October 2).

Hertfordshire residents reported losing power after seeing lightning in the sky, and, while some properties have seen their supply restored, outages are still being experienced.

The problem was reported shortly after 3pm, and UK Power Networks currently estimate that power will not be restored until between 6pm and 7pm.

UK Power Networks believe that the loss of power has been caused by a fault with an overhead cable.

Power has been diverted to reach some properties, though many are still affected. Engineers arrived on site to investigate the problem at around 4pm.

It is understood that mobile network coverage has also been affected by the incident.

56 postcode areas are affected by the ongoing power cut, including those that begin:

  • AL1
  • AL2
  • AL3
  • AL4
  • AL6
  • AL7
  • AL8
  • AL9
  • AL10 

In a statement, a spokesperson for UK Power Networks said:  "We're sorry for any disruption this may have caused you.

"As this was an unexpected power cut, we didn't know it was going to happen so we were unable to give you advanced notice."