A LARGE power cut left 2,600 homes in Bournemouth without power and stopped traffic lights working this morning.

Traffic lights on the Cooper Dean roundabout on the A338 and A3060 Castle Lane West failed following a power cut at around 6am.

Lights at Springbourne roundabout and on Holdenhurst Road were also affected.

About 2,600 homes around the Hospital, Queens Park and Winton areas were affected.

The lights at Cooper Dean roundabout, Winton and Queens Park are back on.

A spokesman for power provider Southern Electric said that most homes had had power restored by 9.30am.

At 12pm, 150 homes were still without power.

A mobile generation unit is being set up to temporarily supply these remaining properties, while repairs are carried out.

The powercut has been traced to an underground cable fault.

An investigation into its cause is ongoing. A Bournemouth council spokesman said bus signals on Chaseside, pedestrian crossings on the Cooper Dean slip roads, Castle Lane West and Holdenhurst Road were all affected.

Sites started going out at 2:28am, he said, and there are still issues along Castle Lane East with power fluctuations due to a power outage.

More follows.