Sports fans in Harold Hill missed out on the Wimbledon Men’s Final because of a eight hour power cut.

Homes in Edenhall Road, Barnstaple Road and Montgomery Crescent were plunged into darkness on Sunday July 8 at 5pm until Monday July 9 at 1.30am.

Resident Linda Owen said: “My husband was absolutely gutted because it was just as he was sitting down watching the tennis.

“It was a nightmare, but I was more concerned about my food because I had three fridge freezers full.”

The 84 households were hit as 16 million people across the country tuned into watch Andy Murray’s tournament reach its climax.

One resident who had the game cut short said: “It was a real nightmare and it was right when the tennis was on.

“We had to listen to it on our radio, it was like we were going back to Victorian times.”

The problem was caused by a fault on a piece of equipment on the low voltage electricity network in Edenhall Road.

Firefighters were also called out on to the road because of heat coming from the electricity network.

While sports fans tried to keep up to date with the tennis game, others spent their time resorting to board games and playing cards.

Roy Percy said: “Entertainment was hard to come by.

“I felt like I was stuck in the dark ages again, when I looked out of my window, I could see everyone on their mobile phones trying to entertain themselves.”

Maureen Templenan said: “It was an absolute nuisance, the road was just dark.

“We have a three year old who has to sleep with the night light on, so it was really hard for him and it was a long time to go without power.”

The residents are now calling for compensation to replace the food that had to be thrown away because of the power cut.

Maureen said: “I have had to dump �80 worth of food.

“There was a lack of communication, no one told us what was going on, we had to call them and ask for information.

“I don’t see why we should have to contact them about compensation.”

A spokesman for UK Power Networks apologised for the inconvenience caused to customers and the affect it had on the viewing of the Wimbledon Men’s Finals.”