Almost 500 homes in the Rickmansworth area are without power due to a fault.

Residents in West Hyde and Maple Cross were also left in the dark while some traffic lights were also reportedly affected.

UK Power Networks said engineers were trying to restore power to a total of 452 customers in the area.

One Twitter user commented: "Power cut in Maple Cross. The traffic lights on A412 also not working. Just in time for dinner!".

As part of the repair, power was briefly shut off to a total of 1,959 homes at 4.21pm but 1,507 of them were restored six minutes later.

A UK Power Networks spokesman said: "We do understand how inconvenient it is to be without power, especially at this time of the year, and apologise to the customers affected."