FIVE hundred homes were left without power yesterday after lightning struck an electricity transformer in the New Forest.
Lights and clocks blanked out at exactly 1.21pm at hundreds of houses in Fordingbridge, Godshill, Woodgreen and North Charford, during a freak, localised thunderstorm.
Southern Electric engineers were alerted immediately by an alarm system and rushed out to the transformer, near Godshill Pottery, to carry out repairs.
The power cut was expected to last up to three hours before electricity was restored.
Southern Electric spokesman Julian Reeves said: "It was quite a heavy storm and it is very likely that the lightning strike was the cause of the problem.
"We were there within a few hours to begin work restoring power as soon as possible."
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