Power cut halts student applications

The power cut shut down the Ucas system

Thousands of students trying to contact the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) have been thwarted by a power cut in the town where the organisation's headquarters are based.

The power failure in Cheltenham on Wednesday meant students trying to find university places were unable to get through on the telephone or visit the website.

Both systems were running again by 1345 BST but students were warned they may have trouble getting through.

Chief executive Tony Higgins said: "We are expecting a high volume of calls this afternoon after this morning's events. We ask that applicants bear with us."

Clearing system

Late August is the busiest time for Ucas, with many A-level students relying on the clearing system to find a place at university.

Students who have achieved A-level grades different from those they need for a college or university place use the clearing system to find a course which will accept them.

The power failure happened at about 0730 BST and affected 71,000 people in homes and businesses in Cheltenham.

It occurred when contractors damaged a high-voltage underground cable near the entrance of the town's racecourse.

The majority of customers had their electricity restored by 0800 BST.