Police, paramedics and the fire service have been called to Sheppey tonight after a power cable came down.

There was a widespread power cut affecting up to 1,600 homes across the Island after the electricity wire fell in Minster Road, Minster.

A man in his 60s was injured in the incident as he tried to dodge the sparking cable.

A police spokesman said: "Police were called at 6.24pm to reports that a power cable had come down in Minster Road."

The road from Halfway traffic lights to the Oasis Academy's Minster campus was closed as engineers made the area safe and then restored the power.

The police spokesman added: "There were no reported injuries from the cable itself, although a man suffered injuries to a hand believed to have been sustained from falling over."

EDF electricity company was called to the scene.

A note sent out to residents from UK Power Networks said: "As of 19.02 we assigned engineers to locate and fix the issue; they are now on their way.

"Your power is affected by an emergency isolation our engineers have carried out for safety. At this stage we don't have any estimates of time for power to be on. As soon as we're able to provide a time frame, we'll let you know."

It is not known what caused the power cable to break. One witness said it could have been the cold weather.

The incident follows an earlier power-cut in Rainham, which meant that trains were stopped in the area.

UK Power Networks confirmed on their website that power was restored around 2.30am on Friday morning, December 30.