Electricity was cut off to about 120 homes in Invercargill in the early hours of this morning after a car hit a power pole. A police spokeswoman confirmed police were called to the scene on Kew Rd about 2am this morning. A Powernet spokeswoman said the accident cut the power to about 120 homes initially, however more homes needed to have the power turned off about 9am to make the necessary repairs. Southland Hospital acting general manager Jo McLeod confirmed the hospital was not affected by the power outage. ''The hospital has generators that automatically respond to provide essential power, in the event a power outage occurs."

Source: Otago Daily Times August 11, 2021 21:45 UTC