The NatWest Bank in Gravesend was among dozens of business premises which had to shut their doors to customers today because of a power cut.

The unlucky bank had been open over the weekend after problems with its computers hit every NatWest account.

Today the bank was hoping everything would be back to normal, but at 1.15pm a major power cut knocked out the bank, Gravesend Civic Centre and shops along Windmill Street.

First thing to put out of use was the bank's cash card machines and computers. The premises were polunged into darkness.

At the Civic Centre an emergency generator in the underground car park cut in to keep basic services going.

A spokesman for UK Power Systems said: "At 1.11pm today, 552 customers in the Windmill Street area of Gravesend experienced an interruption to their power supplies because of a fault on the underground electricity distribution network.

"UK Power Networks engineers restored all the supplies at 1.40pm.

"We appreciate how difficult it can be to lose power and would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused by this incident."

Gravesham council's computer system was still not working at 3.15pm.