Lister and New QEII hospitals hit by overnight power cut in Hertfordshire

The Lister Hospital in Stevenage was hit by the power cut, which affected the area between Letchworth and Welwyn

Two major hospitals in Hertfordshire were affected by a power cut overnight, a health trust has said.

The East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said an electrical fault knocked out power at the Lister in Stevenage and the New QEII hospital in Welwyn just before 8pm on Monday.

UK Power Networks said the power cut was caused by a fault in a high voltage underground cable.

It said 36 postcodes between Letchworth Garden City and Welwyn Garden City were affected by the total blackout.

Power was restored just after 2am and the hospital said services were now back to normal and patients should attend appointments as planned.

The hospital trust said back-up generators were deployed to keep patients safe.

A spokesperson said: "In incidents, we have a duty to warn our patients and the public, which is why we post information on our website and social media." 

The trust posted a statement on its website on Monday night saying: "Lister and the New QEII Hospitals are affected by a power outage. Many systems are back up and running, we are working hard to minimise the impact and keep our patients safe.

"Please continue to immediately call 999 in an emergency, and for any urgent but non-life or limb threatening condition please contact NHS 111. Maternity services are open, please follow usual procedures."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know