A power line accident injured a Belco worker and took out electricity for more than 400 residents and businesses yesterday lunchtime.

Belco spokeswoman Linda Smith-Wilson said the incident began as staff worked on a storm damaged overhead power line near Mount St. Agnes school, in Elliott Street, Hamilton.

Cliff Looby, whose gym is adjacent to where the worker was injured, said he was later told by Belco that the current was still on when the worker perched in a cherry-picker touched the wire.

He said: “He was lucky he didn't get killed.”

Ms Smith-Wilson said the worker was treated and released and the incident would be investigated.

She was not sure what his injuries were but she suspected it was burns.

The flashback caused by the mishap then took out a transformer a couple of hundred yards down the line leaving Park Road, Woodbourne Road, Langton Hill, Cedar Avenue and Wesley Street without electricity for the afternoon.

But power was restored to each customer by later last night.

Startled workers witnessed an explosion on a power pole by the Quickie-Lickie Laundromat in Park Road at around 1.50 p.m during the chain reaction.

Bystander Heather Correia told The Royal Gazette: “I thought it was a bomb. It was quite intense.

“There were a lot of blue sparks coming off the wire. Then it went out. Luckily no one was underneath otherwise they would have been hurt.”

Another eyewitness, Chantelle Belboda, said: “There was a big flame, it went out quite quickly, then there was crackling and a lot of smoke. The whole wire was shaking.

“I started to run away. I didn't know what it was.”

Quickie-Lickie manager Rosie Cross said: “I could not believe what was happening.”

She said her business has escaped unscathed despite the power fault.

However Buckaroo Two co-owner David Cauchi was left counting the cost as he was forced to shut his Park Road cafe because of a power outage and turn customers away.

He said he lost power for almost two days about a year ago when a truck took out a power line behind the store.

The area was also hit in 1996 when an overloaded truck pulled down overhead power lines in Dundonald Street causing outages in nearby shops.

He said: “I hope Belco are quicker at fixing this than last time. It cost me $2,000 a day.”

He said of yesterday's blast: “There was a hell of a bang and I saw a big fire ball.”

Mr. Cauchi said the Quickie-Lickie Laundromat relied on underground electricity while his was reliant on exposed overhead wire.