AN ENERGY company says damaged underground cables were to blame for a power cut which plunged thousands of homes into darkness yesterday.

Homes in an area of Bromley were left without electricity for more than six hours yesterday.

EDF were swamped with phone calls as lights went out in the afternoon.

An EDF spokesman said: “Power was interrupted to several thousand customers in the West Wickham area at 1.40pm yesterday, December 10, following damage to a section of underground cable.

“Supplies were restored to 920 customers at 2.07pm and the remaining customers were back on power at 3.25pm.”

A second power-out then hit around 50 homes in Hayes yesterday evening, cutting electricity to these households for more than five hours.

Residents’ were left stranded with no lights, heating or hot water until 11.45pm when the power came back on intermittently.

EDF blamed the blackout on a localised fault with an underground cable.