Belco has urged the public to be careful with balloons after one sparked a power outage, affecting about 400 customers.

Shelly Leman, managing director of transmission, distribution and retail at Belco, said that on Saturday afternoon a helium balloon came into contact with overhead wires in Smiths, causing an outage in the area.

“Belco crews responded to the outage, removed the balloon and restored power to all customers after approximately two hours and 20 minutes,” Ms Leman said.

“Impacts of helium-filled balloons causing outages on our network are entirely preventable incidents.

“Not only is there the inconvenience to our customers of losing power, but these incidents can also pose a significant safety risk to members of the public if conductors are downed as a result.”

Ms Leman added that released balloons can also have a negative impact on the marine environment and birds.

“I urge members of the public to take precautions when using helium-filled balloons and to ensure they are not released into the environment and are disposed of responsibly,” she said.