MORE than 1,600 buildings in Bolton have been hit by a power cut this evening.

Electricity North West said that 1,660 properties were without power, due to external damage to a high voltage line.

The outage affected homes in Tonge Fold and The Haulgh.

Most customers were expected to have power restored by 8.45pm.

A statement on the Electricity North West website said: "We have a high voltage fault affecting Bolton. This fault is due to damage to our equipment.

"Our engineers are aware of the problem. And a team is currently travelling to site. Our estimated time for restoration is 20:45 hours today. If this changes as the job progresses we will keep you updated.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the interruption to your supply and our engineers will work to restore your power as soon as possible." 

Engineers arrived on site at around 7.45pm.