Residents of a Southend block of flats were taken to the Civic Centre for refreshments after a flat fire caused a power cut.

A flood in one of the flats at St Mary's Court, in Victoria Avenue, caused a blaze in an electrical junction box which shorted out power supplies to the rest of the block.

Firefighters quickly dealt with the small blaze yesterday afternoon. Engineers from Eastern Energy worked throughout the evening to replace the damaged cables and restore power.

The elderly man whose flat was flooded was moved to temporary accommodation in a nearby residential care home, said a council spokeswoman.

Some other residents who lost power were taken to the Civic Centre where they were given refreshments while power was restored.

She said officers would investigate what permanent repairs would be needed to the building. No-one was injured.

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