Lightning may have caused a technical fault that has left Gibbs Hill Lighthouse out of operation.

The Department of Marine and Ports Services said a problem with the mechanism that rotates the light had caused it to go out.

A spokeswoman for the department said: “On August 21, the lighthouse’s rotating light mechanism ceased functioning. Although the light remained illuminated, its performance became unreliable.

“Subsequent efforts to resolve the issue were unsuccessful and on August 26, the light was fully extinguished.

“Preliminary inspections indicate that the lighthouse may have sustained damage from a lightning strike, which compromised several components of its electrical system.

“The department’s technical team is now preparing to replace and upgrade the affected wiring, switches and contacts.”

The spokeswoman said a comprehensive inspection was scheduled to take place next week to determine the full extent of the necessary repairs.

She added: “Despite Gibbs Hill Lighthouse being out of operation, the safety of mariners, international shipping and marine traffic remains high through the use of modern navigation technology largely guided by GPS, radar and electronic charting systems.

“The department remains fully committed to restoring Gibbs Hill Lighthouse to full operational status as swiftly as possible.

“In the interim, mariners who currently rely on Gibbs Hill Lighthouse for navigation assistance have been notified of the outage through official maritime communication channels.

“We will provide further updates as new information becomes available.”

The fault comes just under a year after the light at the Southampton landmark underwent repairs following months of being out of operation.

Safety railings at the lighthouse are also being replaced following a sudden death on the premises earlier this year.