Power has been restored to more than 10,000 residents following yesterday’s powerful winds.

A MainPower spokesman said the network has experienced extensive damage in the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts due to recent high winds.

“We are doing everything possible to restore power and have crews from other areas in the South Island travelling to North Canterbury assist with repairs.

“Our teams have worked overnight and have successfully restored more than 10,000 customers.

“We will continue restoring remaining connections, however isolated parts of the network may remain off for an extended period due to access issues, please prepare accordingly.

“Please note – a helicopter will be used to assess lines around the region today (as weather allows).

“Treat all lines as live during outage periods; power may be restored at any time. If you require further information please call MainPower’s 24-hour fault line – 0800 30 90 80; to report an emergency call 111.

We thank you for your support and patience while our teams work to safely restore the electricity network.”