Power still out for 1000 Canterbury homes

Linesman fix a power line. File photo / Ben Fraser

Electricity remains out for 1000 homes in Canterbury after last week's storm battered the network.

Power company Orion said contractors were continuing to make progress to clear fallen trees and debris before working on the damaged lines.

Electricity remains out for 1000 of the 28,000 customers who lost supply during the storm.

Orion chief executive Rob Jamieson said two vehicle crashes into poles, a fallen tree and bird strike yesterday caused the number of customers without supply to rise temporarily.

"Our total focus remains to reconnect as many of our customers as quickly and safely as possible."

Mr Jamieson urged anyone installing a generator to call in a registered electrician.

"An incorrectly installed generator may send power back into the electrical network while it is being worked on by a linesman resulting in electrocution."

He earlier said the wind storm was proving far more damaging than any other storm in recent memory.