Hundreds of people and businesses have been plunged into darkness and left without electricity for days in Canning Town.

The power cut, which started in the early hours of Tuesday (October 25) morning in the Hallsville Quarter, came after a basement beneath a restaurant flooded, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.

Newham Council says it has affected the basements of three privately managed tower blocks - two operated by First Port Property Management Services, the managing agents for Hallsville Quarter.

Nearby hotels, restaurants and cafés in the high street, leisure and residential complex have been forced to close due to the chaos.

Engineers have come to the site to drain the flood, which was allegedly six-foot high.

A spokesperson First Port said the safety of its residents is its “absolute priority”.

They said: “We have worked with the local council to move most residents to temporary alternative accommodation.

“We have had colleagues on site throughout to support residents and we’re working at pace to get them back into their homes as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Ruth Roy, who is visiting her daughter and grandchildren from Scotland, says the corridors of the Ibis Hotel were in “pitch blackness” and she had to use her iPad to get down dozens of flights of stairs.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There’s no water, no shower and no toilet.

"As I’m coming down the stairs the corridors were in pitch blackness because they’ve only got a generator on for so long, there wasn’t even emergency lighting when I got out this morning."

Her daughter, Elizabeth Roy, lives on a ninth-floor flat with her three children in Hallsville Quarter.

Elizabeth says she was also without hallway lighting and struggled to get her two eldest children ready while looking after her newborn.

Meanwhile, nearby business owners in Hallsville Quarter have been left unable to open.

Leo Mometti, who owns Yapix House - an Italian coffee and wine shop - says he has been left “devastated” after he arrived at work at 7am to find the electricity was out.

He is worried a huge food order he brought from Italy will have to be chucked out due to his fridge freezers not working.

Leo said: “I’ve lost a lot of money, we’ve been very unlucky as we ordered loads of meat from Italy.

"All the stock, all of the food, everything is off. This weekend was very busy, so we ordered a lot of food and the meat is very expensive, it’s from an Italian supplier."

Adam Bainy owns a Lebanese restaurant nearby and was able to temporarily store some of the meat elsewhere.

A spokesperson for the nearby McDonald’s the Canning Town branch was closed: “There is no damage to our restaurant but the safety of both our crew and customers is of paramount importance to us."

A spokesperson for Newham Council said it is an "ongoing serious flooding incident".

"The properties affected are without power and water.

"Newham Council officers are assisting the management company, who have been on scene since the early hours.

"We continue [to] monitor the situation closely and stand ready to assist if required.

"We have set up an interim rest centre to support those residents who require immediate assistance.”