A power cut that has plunged parts of Central London into darkness has given a whole new meaning to “Black Friday”.
The cut, which started at 5.16pm, has hit Soho, which is packed with tourists, shoppers and people enjoying the area’s bars and restaurants.
Plays, including Les Miserables at the Queen’s theatre, Jersey Boys at the Piccadilly theatre, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace theatre and Aladdin at the Prince Edward theatre have reportedly been cancelled or delayed, with theatregoers taking to social media to complain about being left standing in the cold.
Lauren Tucker, whose sister and mother were planning on seeing Les Mis this evening after travelling into London from Bath and Bristol, said that her family were currently waiting at the box office to see what could be done.
“The tickets, which cost £318 for 6 tickets, so £52 each, were birthday presents and they are unsure whether they can travel back up to watch the show. They were purchased direct with the venue who will refund the tickets, but we assume no compensation is going to be provided in terms of hotel and travel,” she said.
UK Power Networks released a statement apologising for the inconvenience for the power cut in the Carnaby Street area.
“Our engineers are currently investigating the cause and restoring supplies as quickly as is safely possible. There are currently 2,300 properties off supply,” a spokesman said.
The company tweeted: “Engineers have been able to get some power back on to the area by re-routing around the fault.” It estimates that power will be back on between 8.30 and 9.30pm this evening.
Thames Water have also tweeted that water supplies could be affected in blocks of flats. (NAN)
