ONE thousand homes in the Blackbrook area were without electricity earlier this week following a small explosion at a cable box in Boardmans Lane.

The box was just outside Blackbrook Rugby Club and suddenly exploded at around 4.30pm on Monday. Firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene and the road was temporarily closed by police while Manweb chiefs tried to repair the damage.

The majority of homes were without power for just over two hours as the electric was switched back on at 6.15pm. Power at the rugby club was only reinstated just after midnight.

A spokeswoman for Manweb told the Star: "The problem was centred around an underground cable which gives off 6,000 volts of electricity, which in our terms, is not a very big charge. The minor explosion was a result of damage done to the wire by a third party last year but it has since been repaired and made safe again.

"We did offer to fit a generator for Blackbrook Rugby Club but because of the time it would have taken to fit it, they declined and their power was restored later that evening."

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