More than 500 businesses and homes were affected by a power cut in Chatham today.

All phone lines went down at council headquarters Gun Wharf, in Dock Road, (pictured) for about 45 minutes this morning.

Shops along Chatham High Street were also left without power.

UK Power Networks said a fault on an underground cable interrupted supplies for 545 customers in the Military Road area at 9.35am.

A spokesman said: "Engineers began restoring power almost immediately, with 364 supplies reconnected by 9.39am.

"Supplies were restored to the remaining 181 customers between 10.27am and 11.04am.

"We would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused."

In a separate incident, hundreds of people were evacuated from Chatham's Pentagon Shopping Centre in a planned evacuation test.

A spokesman for the centre said: "It was part of our statutory duty to maintain safety standards, and nothing to do with the power cut."