The gas pipe was fractured on Monday afternoon

About 5,000 people in County Durham are still without gas after the main pipe was fractured by a digger at Middlestone Moor, near Spennymoor.

The subsequent strain on electricity substations caused fuses to blow, blacking out more than 300 homes.

They have since been reconnected but CE Electric said residents should try to use appliances outside peak times.

Customers can help the situation if they can stagger their peak use of electricity CE Electric spokesman

A CE Electric spokesman said: "The gas leak is placing an unprecedented demand on the electricity network as customers seek to use electricity for cooking and heating.

"This is causing interruptions to electricity supply in some locations as fuses blow in substations.

"Customers can help the situation if they can stagger their peak use of electricity, for example for cooking, to outside of peak times."

At one point more than 10,000 homes were without gas after Monday's leak.

Emergency measures

The main has now been repaired, but residents now face a long wait as engineers must visit each property to carry out safety checks.

A spokeswoman for Northern Gas Networks said it could take up to a week to resolve the supply problem.

But she added that those affected would automatically receive compensation of �30 for every 24-hour period without gas, which it was estimated would cover the cost of any additional electricity usage.

These figures were confirmed by gas and electricity watchdog Energywatch, which said customers should receive their compensation within four weeks.

Durham County Council has taken emergency measures to ensure vulnerable areas such as care homes have adequate heating and cooking facilities.