RESIDENTS in Cirencester were left without power over the Easter weekend after Thames Water hit a power cable in a bid to fix a burst water pipe.

Residents in Lewis Lane noticed the leak at around 10.30am on Saturday.

“There was water bubbling up from the cracks in the road,” said resident Andrew Carpenter, who first reported the incident to Thames Water. “It got worse and progressed to spurting and debris from under the road surface was being brought up and deposited on the carriageway.”

After an initial check Thames Water returned to repair the leak bringing bottled water for any residents in need of it.

But at around 10.30pm properties in the area suddenly lost electricity.

“I went out to check but was told they had hit a power cable whilst excavating for the pipe and power had been turned off so the cable could be safely repaired,” added Andrew.

The power was restored by 11pm and the water came back on during the night.

A Thames Water spokesman has apologised to everyone who was affected.

“While repairing the burst water pipe we accidentally damaged a power cable, which left some residents with no electricity,” she said. “We immediately contacted the power company, who repaired the cable, allowing us to finish mending the pipe.”