POWER outages have left hundreds of homes without heating or electricity, with some residents not expected to be reconnected to the network until after dark.

According to an official map from the UK Power Network, houses in Lexden, Eight Ash Green, and Fordham Heath are all suffering from the power cuts, which were first reported at just after 6am this morning.

Some homes in Stanway are also believed to be affected, but the majority of homes left in the dark are near Straight Road, Lexden.

Engineers had arrived on site at 8am this morning, concluded the power outage was down to a fault on the underground network affecting substation equipment.

It had been hoped power would be restored by 1pm, but a recent update on the UK Power Network website has said power may not be restored until after 6pm.

A post at 11.43am read: "Our traffic management has now arrived on site and is being set up.

"We're sorry for the disruption this power cut may be causing – if you're worried about elderly or ill neighbours, we can offer help and support to our vulnerable customers during a power cut.

Gazette: Outage – areas where homes are being affected by a power cut are highlighted in redOutage – areas where homes are being affected by a power cut are highlighted in red (Image: UK Power Network)

"We’ll keep you updated with our progress; if you have any questions or concerns, our team are always here to talk on 105.

"If you have any concerns, please call us on 0800-316-3105."

A separate power cut in Stanway was resloved just after 2pm this afternoon.