Helston was plunged into darkness last night amid reports the blackout stretched from The Lizard to Redruth.

The cause of the mass power cut remains unclear this morning, but is believed to have affected hundreds of homes just before 10.30pm last night.

Normally lit up roads were in total darkness as even the street lights were extinguished, with security alarms on businesses set off by the sudden loss of power.

People were quick to log onto social media to find out just how far the darkness spread, with many describing the sudden outage, which came without warning and in calm weather, as “eerie.”

One person said they had contacted Western Power and been told that everywhere from The Lizard to Redruth was out – a 21-mile stretch.

Other parts of the Lizard Peninsula remained unaffected, however, while Penzance Road in Helston was the only place in town to remain unscathed.

Fortunately the blackout only lasted roughly ten minutes – just enough time for people to dig out their candles before having to blow them out again when the power returned as suddenly as it had disappeared.

The Packet has contacted Western Power for a reason behind the power loss.