DOZENS of businesses in the centre of Poole were forced to close early this afternoon following a power cut.

The electricity is believed to have gone off at about 4.30pm, affecting the Kingland Crescent side of the Dolphin Centre.

A spokeswoman for Southern Electric distribution said there had been a failure of the high voltage network affecting 672 customers, mainly in the town centre and High Street area.

She added: “Engineers on site are working to restore supplies as soon as possible.”