NEARLY 300 homes in the borough were left without power for over an hour last night.

A team of engineers were sent to Bolton after a powercut left 281 homes in the dark.

Electricity North West sent the team to the site shortly after 8pm, with power restored to all homes by 9.15pm.

The fault was caused by a balloon which had become tangled in an overhead power line.

Engineers unwrapped the balloon from the line, and made sure the site was safe before leaving.