'Explosion' causes damage to Portsmouth road this morning
Visible damage can be seen to a pavement in Portsmouth this morning following an ‘explosion’ of an outdoor electricity board.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing loud noise which sounded like an ‘explosion’ just after 9am in Widley Road which has caused visible damage to the pavement and man hole cover.
It follows power outages in the area since around 2am this morning. Police and firefighters are on the scene.
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Hampshire Police has confirmed it has been called but that the fire service was leading on the incident.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue has confirmed it was called just after 9.20am following the explosion.
A spokesperson said: “We were called to what was believed to have been an explosion of an electricity board.
“There was an initial evacuation but everyone is safe.”
The News contacted Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks for further information and it confirmed it is working to restore power to around 160 homes which it hoped would be completed by around 4pm.
An SSEN spokesperson said: “Engineers are currently on site at Widley Road and will restore power as soon as is possible.
"A full investigation into what caused the incident will now take place. We would like to thank customers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”