Pole snapped, power off

Power was cut to parts of Kaikoura, including West End, on Friday at 11am after a truck knocked down a power pole in Ludstone Rd.

The truck, which had just been bought by the driver, was empty at the time of the accident and had been on its way to Auckland.

The driver, from Auckland, had bought the truck on the West Coast and was heading back to Auckland when he took a wrong turn and headed down Ludstone Rd.

Realising his mistake he attempted to do a u-turn in Grays Lane and reversed the vehicle into the pole, causing it to fall over into a nearby garden. Nearby residents heard a loud bang and witnessed a bright flash before losing power momentarily.

Kaikoura police and engineers were quick on the scene and power was restored to the rest of town about 10 minutes later.

The driver was fully insured and police were not looking to press charges, although the driver may be liable for a warning for dangerous driving, constable Lindsay Tilbury of Kaikoura police said.