A MASSIVE power cut left a large part of Bolton without electricity this afternoon.

Numerous businesses in the town centre were affected, including Bolton Town Hall and The Bolton News, and shops, banks and offices were reduced to emergency lighting.

The cut hit at about 12.45pm and power was restored in the town centre just before 1.30pm.

An Electricity Northwest spokesman said 2,697 customers were affected.

She said: “We sent engineers out straight away to repair the fault and it was over within half an hour.

“There was no third party involvement and it was just a fault with the undergound cable.”