Power cut to parts of Warkworth

KERRY GALLAGHER

TANGLED MESS: A Vector worker walks toward the smashed power pole on State Highway 1. The overturned trailer lies about 50 metres away.

KERRY GALLAGHER

LOG JAM: Logs were sent sprawling across the highway when the trailer overturned. Traffic was banked up for about 9km.

Relevant offers

Power was cut to parts of Warkworth when a logging truck's trailer clipped a power pole and it overturned on State Highway One south of Warkworth at about 2.30pm Wednesday.

There were no reported injuries.

Police at the scene said the truck had tried to swerve around another truck that was turning right and it's rear trailer left the road and clipped the pole.

Logs from the overturned trailer were spilt over the highway.

SH1 was open but there were delays, especially in the north-bound lane south of Warkworth.

Traffic was banked up as far as Warkworth in the north and Puhoi in the south.

Power was cut to homes between McKinney Rd and the satellite station near Thompson Rd.

Vector communications manager Sandy Hodge says the initial strike took out power to 1137 customers around Mahurangi West, Puhoi, Pohuehue, Pukapuka and Warkworth.

Power was then rerouted and this had been reduced to 62 customers by 5.36pm and 27 customers by 7.50pm.

The smashed power pole was replaced around 10pm, restoring power to the final 27 customers.

The manual ticket kiosks off the south-bound toll road were also affected.

Motorists were frustrated in their attempts to buy tickets for about two hours after the accident when the two machines went down.

They were eventually repaired.

- © Fairfax NZ News