London power cut: West End plunged into darkness after electrical failure
An evening performance of Aladdin the Musical was cancelled as a result
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A power cut plunged parts of central London into darkness during the Black Friday shopping holiday.
The West End and Soho districts - both of which were full of shoppers, tourists and people on nights out at the time - went dark shortly after 5pm.
The famous electric billboards of Piccadilly Circus shut down, leaving the cross section in shadows.
UK Power Networks explained "engineers are now on site" investigating the cause of the sudden blackout.
Engineers were able to get some power back to the affected area by re-routing around the fault. UK Power Networks tweeted full power was returned to Soho and the West End by 9pm.
The evening West End performance of Aladdin the Musical was cancelled due to the power cut.
A spokesman for the Disney West End musical, playing at the Prince Edward Theatre, tweeted: "Due to the ongoing power cut in Central London we regret that tonight's performance has been cancelled.
"Tickets will be refunded. Please refer to your original point of purchase for full details.
"We regret any disappointment or inconvenience caused by this unavoidable occurrence. Thank you."
Transport for London explained the tube network was not affected by the power cut but said travellers were held at Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus stations to avoid overcrowding.
Blackout witness Adrie van der Luijt tweeted: "You can't see where you are walking throughout Soho, Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown. Astonishing. No traffic lights."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments