Police remain in the dark over driver who caused Napier power cut

Police have been given a registration number of a vehicle they are looking for, but so far, it hasn't turned up.

A bill of around $40,000 could be awaiting the driver of a car that wrecked a roadside electricity transformer and disrupted supply to up to more than 90 homes in Napier during the Covid-10 level 4 lockdown.

The crash in Alexander Ave, Onekawa, happened just after 6pm on April 19, cutting power to residents of Alexander, Dinwiddie and Hitchings Aves and Neal and Plowman Crescents, for up to five hours during teatime and leaving homes in early-evening darkness.

It was able to be restored only with the use of a generator while supply company Unison Networks prepared a replacement transformer, which was installed the following Friday, with further supply disruption during the work.

"The transformer was pretty much destroyed," said Unison Networks customer relationships manager Danny Gough. "We had to put a generator in to get power going again."

Unison Networks customer relationships manager Danny Gough. Photo /File

Residents said the driver appeared to have enlisted help from friends to remove the significantly damaged vehicle before police arrived.

A registration number was provided to police, a resident said, but police national communications staff said the vehicle had not been found.

Police were seeking any information on the movements and whereabouts of a black 2003 Ford Falcon "which likely has sustained serious damage to the front", staff said.

Gough said Unison would try to recoup losses for the damage to its network if it could.

He said only such emergencies and other essential work were carried out by staff during the lockdown, and programmed work has been resuming under level 3.