A BLACKOUT hours before the switch-on of Hereford's Christmas lights in 1999 failed to dim enthusiasm for the big night.

More than 6,000 households and businesses were plunged into gloom and traffic gridlocked when a cable faulted ahead of the switch-on on Wednesday, November 17.

Fast work by teams from the Midlands Electricity Board soon saw supplies restored and another huge crowd braved bitter cold to pack High Town as TV's Brookside stars Michael Starke (Sinbad) and Louis Emerick (Mick Johnson) turned on the illuminations.

On the cold night 20 years ago, the showbiz pair stayed on for several hours to sign autographs and exchange banter with the crowd.

The soap, broadcast on Channel 4, was originally shown between 1982 and 2003.

Gordon Richards, part of Herefordshire Council in 1999, said the evening had been a "great success".

Organisers were "always confident" the MED would get power restored before the switch-on as a cable fault caused the blackout.

Supplies to the 6,473 customers affected were restored within 45 minutes but the backlog of traffic, caused by traffic lights failing, took longer to clear.