NEARLY 80 West Somerset homes and businesses have been without power throughout the hottest night of the year to date.

The properties in Williton lost their electricity supplies shortly after 11 pm on Monday (June 22) with many not seeing power restored until nearly 5.30 am on Tuesday.

National Grid initially reported it was caused by a fault on the low voltage power cable network in the area.

Later, it said the issue was with its underground power cables and engineers were working on repairs.

A spokesperson said: “Our engineers are working to get electricity back on as quickly as possible.

“We are sorry for the disruption.”

Most of the affected properties were in the Catwell area of the village and only seven were still cut off by 7.30 am on Tuesday.

The last of the properties was reconnected by 12.42 pm on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for National Grid Electricity Distribution said: “The fault site was excavated and a section of cable was replaced by engineers.

“We appreciate customers’ patience while this work was carried out.”