Power cut blacks out town

Shoppers left Wrexham deserted after the black out

Wrexham was brought to a standstill on Thursday after a power cut paralysed the town for nearly two hours.

Twenty thousand customers were affected by the failure which electricity company Manweb/Scottish Power blamed on a major underground fault caused by "a third party".

Shops, banks and public buildings were forced to close after the north east Wales town was plunged into darkness at around 1500GMT.

Car parks were deserted as office staff were sent home early and shoppers gave up their search for bargains.

Nearby homes were also plunged into darkness with three sub stations out of action while the town's hospital Wrexham Maelor was forced to rely on its emergency generators.

"We did have a blip but it wouldn't be causing us major problems because we have back up generators," said North East Wales NHS Trust spokesman Andy Scotson.

Havoc

Power was finally restored to the town at around 1645GMT.

The situation has not blamed on the bad weather which has caused havoc throughout the rest of north east Wales.

Snow has been falling on and off in the Wrexham area throughout the afternoon but there have been no major problems.

However, children in Denbighshire gained an extra day at home when 11 schools were forced to close because of heavy snowfall.

All main roads across the county remain open, although motorists are being advised to take extreme care.

Gritters will be out throughout the county to ensure the roads remain safe for motorists.

Snow has also fallen in Flintshire with one school closed at Gronant, however the local authority has said the snow has now cleared.