By Hayley Robinson

More than 1,000 homes in the Pond Drive area of Sittingbourne were left without electricity at lunchtime today after an underground cable was damaged by a contractor.

Power was interrupted at 12.30pm but thanks to EDF Energy Network's engineers power was restored to everyone by 2.42pm.

A spokesman for EDF said: "We are committed to providing a reliable supply of electricity and, in a bid to reduce the number of power interruptions caused by contractors damaging underground cables, actively encourage any firm undertaking work to contact us in advance for advice and free cable locating maps, to help them avoid our cables.

"This is vital for their own safety as well as for the security of electricity supplies."