A primary school has been forced to close and 118 homes left without power following an underground fault.

Engineers from UK Power Networks have been called to Mersham, near Ashford, to fix the outage.

The issue, which is affecting Mersham Primary School in The Forstal, was reported at 7.35am and engineers arrived on site soon after.

UK Power Networks says it has already managed to divert some power, getting the lights back on for 34 properties, but 118 homes are still affected across three postcodes.

Back-up generators are on their way to the site and power is expected to be fully restored between 4pm and 5pm.

A customer support vehicle has also arrived at Mersham Village Hall in Church Road.

Updating residents on the situation, UK Power Networks said: “Our engineers are awaiting the arrival of our generators.

“Although these will be temporary, engineers will still need to repair the issue before they can be removed and network power is resumed.

“Thank you for your continued patience this morning, we appreciate how disruptive this must be.

“The generators have been ordered and we are sending specialist staff to the area to help connect these.

“We are also sending specialist tree trimming staff to cut back some trees that have grown close to some of our equipment in the area.

“At this stage, the estimated timeframe is still the same but it is possible this could change based on the amount of work still to do.

“Rest assured though, we will continue to keep you updated with their progress and any further news we may receive.”

While the TN24 0, TN25 6 and TN25 7 are affected, not all homes in those areas are without power.

The spokesman added: “Engineers are working to restore electricity to 118 properties after an underground cable developed a fault.

“Our team have brought temporary generators, and are busy connecting them to restore power to as many as possible, while the exact location of the problem is investigated.

Power was restored to Mersham Primary School at 9.30am, but the site remains closed.