A FAULT which caused a blackout on a half-mile stretch of the A66 has been repaired.

The electrical fault left motorists in darkness on the eastbound carriageway approaching Long Newton, near Stockton.

One driver said: “The overhead lights seemed to be off for several days and really the only light on that stretch was the cats eyes in the road along with the headlamps of the vehicles using it.”

Northern Powergrid said one of its engineers had spotted the fault as he drove along the road and reported it direct to its control room at 8.26pm on February 15. Power was restored at 1.22am the following morning.

A spokeswoman said: “As soon as it was reported we ensured the supply was back on as soon as possible.

“Where parts of the network are not monitored we are reliant on customers or other agencies letting us know there is a problem.”