Dozens of homes were plunged into darkness after a damaged cable caused a power failure.
Residents in 87 houses and flats in St John's Road, Hove, were left without electricity because of the problem shortly after 8pm on Friday.
Some were told by workmen that a main underground cable had been damaged when the road had recently been dug up and that water had seeped in, causing it to blow up.
The problem caused a further fault at a nearby substation.
Electricity supplier EDF Energy said it had engineers quickly on the scene and power was restored to most of the homes by 10pm.
Some residents said they were still without electricity at noon on Saturday.
An EDF Energy spokesman said it had staff on the site digging out the cable to repair the damage. He said only two customers were still being affected.
The spokesman said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this incident."
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