Homes and businesses throughout Forfar, Glamis, Kirriemuir, Memus, Lunanhead, Kingsmuir and Friockheim were all effected after a fault tripped the network shortly before 5 pm.

Security alarms were triggered, traffic lights in town ceased working and some mobile phone networks were effected.

Duncan MacDonald, a spokesman for Scottish Hydro, confirmed on Thursday (today) that just before 5 pm on Wednesday a call came into the control room to report a fault had tripped the network in the Forfar area.

He said: "At that point 15,000 customers went off supply. However, because of the high-tech way we are set up we re-routed supplies for the vast majority of customers to minimise disruption.

"Most people were off for about 15 minutes.

"By about 5.15 pm the area still effected by the fault was Friockheim and all supplies were restored to the remaining customers by 5.40 pm.

"Our priority in these situations is to get the power back on to minimise disruption. We will continue to fault find to establish what caused the fault."