ELECTRICITY chiefs have apologised after a power cut shut down businesses and council offices in York city centre.

Traffic in Rougier Street and George Hudson Street was also disrupted by the blackout, which was caused by a fault in an underground cable.

A spokesman for power supplier CE Electric said engineers were sent to the area after the fault developed at 2am on Monday.

“They went to the Micklegate sub-station to check the fuses and confirmed that the fault was in an underground cable, and was affecting 12 customers,” she said.

“Some businesses were among those affected by the fault.”

Several popular venues, including the Reflex nightclub and Akbar’s Indian restaurant, had to close on Monday due to the problem.

The CE spokeswoman said that to repair the fault and restore supplies engineers had to dig up the road, and traffic management measures had been needed.

“Engineers worked through the day and evening to restore supplies, and the repairs were completed by 4.15am on Tuesday,” she said.

She said the holes in the road would not be filled in immediately, but would be left open for a few days in case any further faults developed, meaning the traffic management measures would remain in place for the time being.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by the fault,” she said.

Properties hit by the power cut included City of York Council offices in the George Hudson Street area, where staff were unable to work.

A council spokeswoman said staff at 20-22 George Hudson Street and nearby Mill House were affected.

She said: “Some staff were relocated to other buildings while those who could work from home were doing so.”