MORE than 2,000 homes and businesses were left without power this afternoon after an underground cable fault in Newport.

Houses in Cardiff Road and Bideford Road in Maesglas were cut off without electricity from 4.15pm, while parts of Harlech Retail Park found themselves without power.

The Tesco Extra on Cardiff road spent more than an hour without power but used an alternative supply from a separate generator.

A spokesperson for Tesco said transactions were unaffected because of the back-up supply and fortunately the store’s customers did not notice any difference.

Engineers were sent out to investigate the problem, which affected 2,007 customers, and by 5pm just 197 homes were reported as without power. By 5.35pm all homes had electricity back.

But Western Power said the fault had nothing to do with the rainy and windy weather after the remains of hurricane Bertha struck this weekend.

A spokesperson for Western Power said: “The power cut was caused by an underground cable fault. Engineers went out to find out exactly where it is and carry out the work.

“Customers are put on an alternative supply of power from a different area while engineers carry out work on the fault and fix it.

“The fault could be because of anything such as damage by a third party or general wear and tear. It’s too early to say.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to homes in the area.”