THOUSANDS of football fans suffered additional Euro 2004 heartbreak last night when they missed the dramatic end to the game because of a power failure.

More than 10,000 customers including homes, pubs and social clubs missed out on the stunning climax to England's first game against France.

The areas hit by the power cut were Titchfield, Locks Heath and parts of Fareham.

Electricity went down just 20 minutes into the second-half while England led thanks to Frank Lampard's header.

The failure meant thousands of armchair footie fans grabbed their phones to find the nearest friend, relative or pub which was showing the reminder of the match.

But by the time power was restored to all the properties, Zinedine Zidane had secured a late win for France.

One Titchfield pub worker, who did not want to be named, told how many villagers sought solace at the homes of family and friends nearby who were unaffected by the power cut. He said: "It was like a ghost town around here."

Southern Electric spokesman Denis Kerby said: "Lots of people were back on quickly, but a couple of thousand didn't go back on until after Zinedine Zidane's goals, which some may think was a blessing!

"All our apologies not only to the England football fans, but also to all our customers. We can assure them that every effort will be put into finding the cause and having our supplies working perfectly for the next game on Thursday."

Engineers are still assessing the cause but it is believed a bird or animal may have caused the problem, on an overhead power line near to Titchfield sub station.

Firefighters also attended the scene following reports of a cracking noise from pylons in Titchfield Road.

The power went off at 9.09pm and was only restored by 10.20pm.