Scores of homes and businesses were left without power for the second time this week after builders dug through an electricity cable.

About 100 properties in Newhaven had no electricity for several hours after an underground cable was severed at the northern end of the West Quay at about midday yesterday.

The same part of Newhaven was deprived of electricity for up to four hours during a similar power cut on Tuesday when contractors working on a redevelopment project damaged a low-voltage cable.

Mary Brownlow, who runs the Ark pub in West Quay said: "It has happened again, all the power has gone down again, causing chaos.

"I don't know when it will come back on. Last time the traffic lights went down. The town was gridlocked."

Ms Brownlow had to shut down the pub's kitchens because of the power failure, forcing her to turn away customers during the usually busy lunchtime period.