As of 4pm this afternoon, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has successfully reconnected the vast majority of customers affected by Friday's loss of supply. SSEN is now encouraging the remaining eight customers, whose homes SSEN has not yet managed to gain access, to get in touch so that the necessary safety checks can be taken before SSEN can re-energise supplies.

At around 6.40pm on Friday evening, a fault on SSEN's high voltage network resulted in approximately 470 customers losing supply at St Clements Gardens, Walpole Road and Hamilton Road, Bournemouth. Following the initial incident call, SSEN worked continuously with all of the responding agencies to ensure the safety of the community and to start the process of restoring electricity supplies as quickly and safely as possible.

Teams from SSEN have been working all day to restore the remaining customers affected but despite numerous attempts to gain access and make contact, SSEN has been unable to carry out the necessary safety checks in eight properties. Information has been left at each property asking customers to make contact to arrange a visit and SSEN is tonight appealing for those remaining customers to get in touch by calling 105.

Commenting, Jo Niven, SSEN's Head of Region, said:

"Our teams have made excellent progress today to get the vast majority of our customers back on supply and I would like to appeal to those customers we have not yet managed to visit to give us a call on 105 so we can arrange an immediate safety check that is necessary before we re-energise supplies. Our teams will remain on standby to respond promptly as soon as customers get in touch and we will also continue to try and make contact with our customers to arrange for our teams to visit."

"I would again like to thank the local community for their ongoing patience and also place on the record our gratitude to the various authorities and partners who have supported efforts to safely get the lights back on for our customers."