Power restored to 60pc of ChCh

Photo / Thinkstock

Power has been restored to over 60 per cent of quake-ravaged Christchurch but progress is slow, lines company Orion says.

Up to 80 per cent of customers lost power when the magnitude 6.3 quake hit yesterday afternoon.

The company said parts of Lyttelton had power again but Christchurch's eastern suburbs were more problematic due to network and road damage.

The suburbs of Dallington and Brighton were among the worst affected, but there were still pockets in the western suburbs without power.

Some households had been affected by multiple electrical faults and large cables needed to be repaired.

Orion said it would continue to assess damage but it would take time as most of its network was underground.

- NZPA