ONE of the country's biggest construction firms has admitted responsibility for a power cut which caused havoc for Christmas shoppers in a North-East town.

The centre of Darlington was plunged into darkness for more than three hours on Tuesday afternoon after workmen sliced through a 132,000-volt underground power cable.

About 20,000 people were affected by the power failure, which resulted in many shops in Darlington town centre having to close on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Construction firm Balfour Beatty has now admitted that the cable was cut during work to build a new health club in Haughton Road, Darlington.

The company, which is building a £3m health club on behalf of Bannatyne Fitness, said a workman employed by one of its sub-contractors sliced into the cable while operating a JCB digger.

It has launched its own investigation into the incident and is cooperating with the Health and Safety Executive, which is carrying out its own inquiry.

A spokeswoman for Balfour Beatty said: "There was an incident which happened during the operation of a JCB and we regret that a cable was damaged, causing the blackout.

"Our own health and safety team is investigating the incident and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused."

It is not known what action, if any, will be taken against the operator of the JCB, who is employed by a sub-contractor.

But the revelation that Balfour Beatty was responsible for the power cut is sure to please traders in Darlington, who are seeking compensation for the business lost on Tuesday afternoon.

The Darlington Chamber of Trade described the power failure as a "body blow" and they are encouraging individual traders to submit compensation claims.

As well as the effect on shops and businesses, the incident also resulted in seven schools having to send children home early.

Another casualty was the Darlington Sports Winners Award ceremony, which had to be cancelled because the venue for the event, Orange in Lingfield Way, did not have its power restored in time.

The power cut also affected parts of Stockton, Yarm, Northallerton and Richmond