The lights went out for more than three hours in central Richmond this afternoon.

Businesses, pubs, cafes, shops and homes fell dark at shortly after 1pm and power was not restored until after 4pm, according to UK Power Networks.

The company is responsible for maintaining the network of power cables across the borough.

It said the problem hit properties in the postcode TW9 1, which covers Richmond's main shopping streets and Richmond Green.

It explained the situation, saying only: "A fault occurred on a piece of our electrical equipment."