Secondary school closed following power cut

A secondary school with almost 900 students has been closed following a power outage in the surrounding area.

Abbeyfield School in Chippenham, Wiltshire, said it would be closed all day as a result of a power cut which hit thousands of homes overnight.

Provider Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said engineers were dealing with the fault on Monday evening and were aiming to reconnect customers in stages.

It thanked those affected for their patience and said it was aiming to get power flowing "as safely and quickly" as possible.

Some 200 properties remained affected at 22:00 BST on Monday and people were told that back-up generators would be installed between 23:00 and 02:00 BST.

The school sent a message to parents and students at 07:00 BST.

"Due to a total power outage that has lasted since yesterday, the school will be closed today," the message said.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

SSEN said its engineers had worked through the night using generated power and switching methods to get all customers back on supply.

Abbeyfield School was the last site to have its power restored but SSEN said it was back on supply by 09:20 BST.

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