A large power cut hit central and east London on Monday morning, affecting thousands of buildings and 32 postcodes, with rail services also disrupted.
The outage began at around 10.30am, plunging offices and residential buildings across the centre of the capital and east London into darkness. UK Power Networks said the issue was primarily thought to be affecting the Shoreditch area, though some customers as far as Ilford were thought to have experienced an outage.
Cause and affected areas
The issue may be down to a fault on an underground electricity cable, UK Power Networks said. Its website states: 'We are aware of a power cut affecting customers in the Shoreditch area. We apologise for any inconvenience this is causing you. Please continue to check our website for updates.'
The 32 postcodes thought to be impacted are: E1 5, E1 6, E1 7, E2 0, E2 8, E2 9, E5 0, E8 1, E8 2, E8 3, E8 4, E9 5, E9 6, E9 7, EC2A 2, EC2A 3, EC2A 4, EC2M 3, EC2M 4, EC3A 7, IG3 8, N1 0, N1 1, N1 2, N1 3, N1 4, N1 5, N1 7, N1 8, N5 2, NW8 7, and W2 3.
Impact on rail services
The power cut also impacted rail services in the capital this morning. Great Northern confirmed the outage had affected platform lighting at Essex Road, and as a result, services are not stopping at the station. The operator said on X: 'You will need to travel via Old Street or Highbury & Islington to complete your journey and allow extra time to arrive at your destination.' At Liverpool Street, departure screens were blank following the outage.
Restoration timeline
Power is expected to be restored between midday and 1pm, although UK Power Networks said this timeline may be extended. Some homes and businesses have had their power restored already, while thousands are still affected by the issue.
