West End power cut: Shows cancelled and restaurants closed as Soho and Chinatown hit by outage

Engineers were working to restore power to more than 1,300 homes and businesses in London

(Nick Allen)

A power cut in the heart of London’s West End has forced the cancellation of theatre production and cinema screenings as thousands of drinkers and diners were plunged into darkness.

The producers of Miss Saigon asked people to “remain calm” as lights at the Prince Edward Theatre went out and later announced the cancellation of Wednesday night’s show.

Soho cinemas also temporarily shut, alongside bars and restaurants in Chinatown as 1,300 properties lost power.

One diner in renowned restaurant The Ivy described the outage as “quite exciting” as customers remained at their tables.

People posting photos on social media described “eerie” scenes as the streets were lift only by cars’ headlamps.

A spokesperson for UK Power Networks said the power was restored for most buildings within half an hour of the outage.

“Our engineers are currently onsite in the Soho area confirming restoration of electricity to 1,359 customers who lost supply at approximately 19.31 this evening,” she said. “The majority of supplies were restored by 20.00.”

Here are some of the photos from the power cut: