THOUSANDS of homes have been left without electricity this morning after a power cut.

The widespread cut, which was first reported at 09.53am, has affected the Chandler's Ford area of Eastleigh.

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) are reporting that the cut affected 2,600 properties - although only 135 are still without power.

A statement from SSE said: "We apologise for the loss of supply. We currently have a fault affecting the areas listed.

"Our engineers are on site working to get the power back on as quickly as they can."

The firm added that they expected the supply to be restored at 12.00noon.