Spain and Portugal hit by major power outage

Part of France was also affected “for a few minutes in the Basque Country”, French television reported.

Homes “were deprived of power” but “all power has since been restored“ , according to RTE, France’s transmission system operator, which is mobilising to “provide assistance”to its Spanish neighbour.

Portugal’s minister for national defence, Nuno Melo, has appealed for people to remain calm and said that the causes of the power failure are not yet known.

There have been some reports of panic buying at Spanish and Portuguese supermarkets due to the cuts, which appear to have left some homes without running water, if they are usually supplied by electric pumps.

Ben Lambert, a British expatriate based near Lisbon, said that there were “huge queues”