THOUSANDS of people in Ipswich were left without electricity after a power cut in the town centre.The power cut happened around 1.30am yesterday as a result of a fault on the underground electricity network.

THOUSANDS of people in Ipswich were left without electricity after a power cut in the town centre.

The power cut happened around 1.30am yesterday as a result of a fault on the underground electricity network.

As well as affecting around 1,400 homes the power outage also left swimmers at Crown Pools baffled when they discovered the pool's water level was around 2ft below its usual height yesterday morning.

An Ipswich Borough Council spokesman said: "There was a problem with the Competition Pool following a town centre power cut.

“The power cut activated the pool's safety mechanisms relating to the water pumping system.

“This resulted in the pool's water levels being slightly lower than normal until full service was resumed by midday.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

And a spokeswoman for EDF Energy, which supplies power to the area, said: “The majority of customers were back on supply within an hour and the final 11 customers had their power restored at 3.10am.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this caused.”