ABOUT 3,000 people were left without power in the Margate area last night because of a fault on the electricity distribution network.

A reserve team football match at Margate FC had to be abandoned at the last minute when the floolights went off in the Hartsdown Road area just after 9pm.

EDF Energy Networks engineers managed, in stages, to restore nearly all those customers affected by 11pm.

The final 170 customers had power restored at 9.45am today.

A spokesman for EDF apologised for any disruption and inconvenience caused by this incident.