PHONE lines in Stourport stopped working last night due to a power cut at the exchange in Redditch.

Residents experienced a loss of service between the hours of about 4pm and 8pm due to a mains power cut at the exchange, which feeds several smaller exchanges in the vicinity.

The powercut caused technical problems in several exchanges, including Stourport.

Back-up generators kicked in and the system was re-booted section by section to restore service.

BT Media Relations Manager, Amy Abela, said: “We would like to apologise to any customers affected by loss in telephone service yesterday evening. A power cut at our Redditch exchange caused a system problem affecting several smaller exchanges in the area. Engineers worked throughout the night to restore service as quickly as possible.”