Cause of major power cut under investigation

Northern Powergrid said it was too early to know whether high temperatures were the sole cause

An investigation is continuing into the cause of a power cut that left 55,000 customers without electricity.

Hartlepool, Peterlee, Billingham, Middlesbrough and Yarm were among the areas affected by a blackout which started at approximately 21:20 BST on Friday.

Northern Powergrid said all but 27 households and businesses had their power restored by 03:00 BST on Saturday.

In a message sent to customers at the weekend, the firm said equipment failure was believed to have been caused by extreme heat.

Speaking to BBC Radio Tees on Monday, Carl O'Burn, the firm's regional manager for the Teesside area, said it was too early to know whether high temperatures were the sole cause of the power cut.

Asked if "extreme weather" had been to blame, he replied: "We don't know. We've taken the equipment away that failed to do some investigations.

"Extreme heat and other extremes, such as wind and rain, can have an impact on the network - so it was probably exacerbated, but we're still investigating."

Mr O'Burn said engineers had worked with teams from National Grid to restore power to about 40,000 people within three hours.

'Plunged into darkness'

Among those affected was Hartlepool Stage Society.

The amateur dramatic group had been performing Young Frankenstein at the local town hall.

Treasurer Pam Gretton said she had been working as "chief curtain-puller" backstage, when the venue was "plunged into darkness".

"The cast was performing Putting on the Ritz, which is the big tap number of the show. We were just getting towards the big finish.

"Part of our band was wired - we had an electric piano and guitar - but luckily we had brass and drums and they kept playing.

"Our tappers kept going until the end of the number - it was amazing for the audience.

"They didn't miss a beat [despite] total darkness. The crowd stood up at the end and cheered. It was very uplifting."

The cast was then compelled to leave the stage before returning a short while later to perform the final number.

Ms Gretton added: "A producer explained to the audience what had been missed and then we sang.

"For all they missed out on 20 minutes of the plot, the feeling was great."