TV star Declan Donnelly misses England World Cup goal

Dec was watching the England match at a local pub

TV star Declan Donnelly was among hundreds of football fans in London who missed England's all-important World Cup goal after a power cut.

The outage, which began at 1520 BST, affected thousands of homes in west London, said energy firm EDF.

"We were watching the game in a pub in Kew," Donnelly told the BBC News website. "One minute before the goal, the power went."

"We got a text from a mate in Swindon, who told us about the goal," he added.

The 34-year-old, who sang England's 2002 World Cup song We're On The Ball, said he and his friends "rushed out into the street and listened to the rest of the first half on car radios".

Ant and Dec (right) sang England's World Cup song in 2002

Jermain Defoe scored England's only goal, 22 minutes into the match against Slovenia in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

It gave Fabio Capello's side the three points they required to avoid an early exit from the tournament.

Although Donnelly - best known for his TV partnership with Anthony McPartlin - made it back to his production office in Chiswick for the second half, the rest of the match proved lacklustre.

"It felt like another part of following England in this World Cup," said the star, philosophically.

"It's just another part of supporting the team against all the odds.

"I suppose it's par for the course, really."