Roads across Bucks have been plunged into darkness after a “high number” of street lights stopped working.

Parts of High Wycombe and Marlow supplied by Scottish and Southern Energy are among the areas plagued with a series of street lighting faults – which have been blamed on failures in the underground supply.

Transport for Bucks (TfB) says it is investigating the exact reason behind the failures – with 20 underground faults reported in November alone.

TfB is continuing to work with electricity companies to resolve the issue, however transport chiefs have warned “the repairs can take some time and be complex in nature”.

Temporary solar powered lighting are being trialled “where practical and most needed”.

Cabinet member for transport at Bucks County Council, Mark Shaw, said: “I understand how frustrating these street lighting issues can be but want to reassure you that we are doing all we can to resolve them.

“I apologise for the inconvenience these outages are causing but I am confident that the utilities companies in question are working as hard as they can to resolve the issue and continue delivering normal service across Buckinghamshire."