MORE than 3,000 homes in the Caerleon area went without power after a fire destroyed an electricity substation.

More than £30,000 of damage was caused when a skip situated next to a power transformer near Ponthir was set ablaze.

Fire crews from Maindee and Malpas used two hose reels to deal with the fire but were unable to prevent it spreading to the adjacent substation.

The fire took place in the Western Industrial Estate on Tuesday night and engineers were yesterday busy replacing the equipment, to link it back to the power grid.

Authorities initially suspected the fire may have been deliberately started, as reported in later editions of yesterday's Argus, but subsequent police enquiries now suggest it may have been accidental.

However, an investigation is still ongoing.

Although, backup relays were used, many residents were without power from 11.08pm to 11.47pm, as engineers dealt with the problems caused by the blaze.

Paul Bishop, a spokesman for Western Power Distribution, which oversees the electricity grid, said the skip fire led to complete destruction of the substation.

"The fire was quickly dealt with but the damage was too extensive so we have had to replace the entire substation," he said.

"We have a procedure in place for such emergencies and we introduced backup measures as quickly as was possible.

"If the fire was set deliberately, it was an extremely irresponsible act, as not only was it highly dangerous but caused great inconvenience to many of our customers."

The incident took place at approximately 9.36pm on Tuesday, June 8 and anyone with information should contact police in Newport on 01633 244999.

A similar situation took place in Neath four weeks ago when a power failure was caused when a substation was set alight by vandals.