MORE than 700 homes were left without power when overhead cables were felled by a surge of electricity.Some people were left in the dark and cold for almost seven hours in Melton and Ufford yesterday afternoon when their electricity supply was cut at around 2pm.

MORE than 700 homes were left without power when overhead cables were felled by a surge of electricity.

Some people were left in the dark and cold for almost seven hours in Melton and Ufford yesterday afternoon when their electricity supply was cut at around 2pm.

A spokesman for electricity company 24Seven said that a fault on an underground cable had caused a 11, 000 volts to surge through the cables in the Melton area causing them to fall.

He said that most customers were back on by around 5pm but other homes in Ufford were forced to wait until around 9pm to be reconnected.

Engineers were on the scene re-erecting the cables as soon as the source of the power cut had been found.

There were also reports that residents in Rendlesham and Campsea Ashe had also been affected but the spokesman said there were no records of any calls from there.

For David Chenery of Ufford Place, Eyke power cuts are not unfamiliar and there have been several in the 15 years that he has lived there.

He too was affected by yesterday's power cut and was one of the last people to be reconnected at around 8pm.

He lives close the electricity sub station and said that he sometimes hears an explosion and then the power goes off.

Although Mr Chenery said he did hear a bang yesterday, the 24Seven spokesman said that the sub station was nothing to do with the power cut this time.

Whatever the cause, Mr Chenery was still inconvenienced for several hours.

He said: "It is one of those waiting games to see when you are going to be reconnected.

"Most houses round here have back up now and I am lucky that I have a coal fire.

"Things have actually got better in the last few years but when you don't see any strong winds or gales and suddenly the power goes off, you are left bewildered wondering what has happened."