POWER company bosses have confirmed a fault that resulted in a fire in an underground manhole in Stourbridge has been repaired.

The incident saw firefighters called out just after 12.15pm to the High Street, outside The Talbot Hotel which was evacuated as a precaution after smoke began wafting in.

The High Street was taped off while firefighters from West Midlands Fire Service and power company engineers worked at the scene.

National Grid Electricity Distribution said the incident occurred due to a fault on the underground network, and this left 11 properties without power until around 10.30pm.

A spokesperson apologised for the inconvenience and this morning (Wednesday) said: “We’d like to thank affected customers in Stourbridge for their patience and understanding as we responded to a cable fault near The Talbot Hotel.

"We identified and fixed the fault, and all power has been restored to nearby properties.”

It’s understood people evacuated from The Talbot had to spend the night elsewhere, but the hotel was operating as usual today following the drama.