Thousands without power in Burgess Hill as repairs carried out
- Published
Power was cut to thousands of properties for repairs to be carried out
Thousands of homes and businesses in Burgess Hill were left without power for three hours because of repair work.
UK Power Networks said it turned off supplies for customers at about 10:00 GMT after a fault was reported.
The company said the work took longer than anticipated, with power restored at about 13:00 GMT.
A spokesman said: "We understand how difficult it is being without electricity, especially during cold weather."
Barry Collins, from Burgess Hill, told BBC Radio Sussex: "My eldest was at Haywards Heath College and that closed because their fire alarm system wasn't operational, so she got sent home."
Several other schools had to close, including Gattons Infant school, Manor Field Primary School, St Wilfrid's Primary and Sheddingdean Community, while traffic lights in the centre of Burgess Hill were also affected.
Traffic lights in Burgess Hill town centre were knocked out by the power cut
American Express closed its office, and the Silverdale GP Practice closed both its sites and had to direct patients needing urgent treatment to practices in Lewes or Crawley, or the NHS 111 service.
James Seaton, also from Burgess Hill, said he was unable to work because of the power cut.
"I thought I'd make good use of my time and go and put some fuel in my car but when I got to Tesco's they were closed," he told the BBC.
"I only had enough petrol to drive four miles, so I'm driving on fumes now."
Mid Sussex District Council announced on Twitter that a planning meeting due to take place on Thursday afternoon would also have to be rescheduled.
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