London, July 27 (AP): Power blackouts prompted by sweltering temperatures struck more than 1,000 businesses in London’s major shopping district and part of the capital’s transit network today, energy company EDF said.

High energy demand led to faults in the city’s power system, which caused outages starting in the city’s central Soho district, EDF said.

Temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius in central London today, the Met Office weather centre said. Part of a major subway station at Oxford Street, which brings people to businesses and more than 300 nearby stores, was closed for around an hour and a half, causing severe disruption, said a spokesman for the London Underground. He said an estimated 570,000 passengers ride through the station on weekdays.