Shortly before 8pm on Monday (4^th November) a reported "fault with an underground cable" caused a black out in Hitchin and across the wider area.

Streetlights, traffic lights and for many mobile signals were all affected by a series of power cuts that continued for some until the early hours of Tuesday.

Trains were unable to stop at Hitchin station

Responses ranged from concern for elderly and vulnerable residents or the prospect of dealing with sick children in the pitch black with no washing machine.

The loss of power impacted a training session for Hitchin Belles but they didn't seem fazed by it.

Residents shared recommendations for stocking up on candles, matches, lighters, torches, LED lights or power banks to prepare for future outages.

UK Power Networks shared updates via SMS messages that said that engineers had been dispatched and that they had reconfigured the network to restore the power