Homes in Oldham are without electricity after utility company experienced an 'unexpected incident' this morning (October 11).

Engineers are currently on route to the affected site in Royton in hopes of fixing the fault, according to Electricity North West.

The electricity supplier said the problem has been caused by a problem with the underground cable. 

They said: "This power cut has been caused by an unexpected incident with the underground cable that provides electricity to your home or business.

"We didn't know before your electricity went off that this was going to happen but now we know, rest assured we will get your power back on safely and as quickly as possible."

The company have said they expect to have the power back up by 2.00pm today, with the issue having been reported earlier this morning, at around 5.37am.

On their fault list website, they explained that the time frames they provide in these incidents are based on previous experiences and 'may change if new information becomes available while engineers are fixing the issue'.

Residents are also warned that due to the fault being underground, the engineers may need to dig to repair the cable, which could extend the length of time they are without power.

The issue is affecting 15 properties in the OL2 5RJ postcode in Royton North, which includes both businesses and homes.