Power cut in Arbroath after ‘almighty bang’ from High Street electricity box

Homes and properties in Arbroath were left without power on Tuesday after a loud bang was heard in the High Street.

The lights went out at 10am and workers described hearing an ”almighty bang” before seeing a yellow cloud of smoke coming from an electricity box.

One worker said: ”We did get a fright when we heard the bang across the road. I looked out the window and there was a cloud of yellow smoke coming out of the electric box.

”Smoke was also coming out of the sides of the box and it seems to have put a few people out.”

Engineers were quickly on the scene and repairs were carried out around the area of the Webster Memorial Theatre.

A Scottish and Southern Energy spokeswoman said the incident was under investigation.

She said: ”We can confirm there was a power cut around 10am affecting 40 customers down to a fault with a low-voltage underground cable. It’s too early to speculate on what the cause could be.”

Engineers worked into the evening to restore power, although it is believed some businesses were forced to close early.

Photo Jim Ratcliffe