BREAKING NEWS Chaos as burst water main shuts down Sydney's busiest court and plunges thousands into darkness
Attendees of Downing Centre local court were pictured standing on the pavement outside on Tuesday morning after the water main burst on Liverpool Street.
Journalists, lawyers and their clients were evacuated about 9.45am after court rooms suddenly went dark just minutes into proceedings.
Ausgrid said almost 1,200 sites were impacted by the unplanned outages.
Buildings on Elizabeth Street, Pitt Street, Goulburn Street, Park Street and Market Street are affected with repairs currently underway.
Power is expected to return between 12pm and 12.30 on Tuesday, Ausgrid said.
A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Communities and Justice told Daily Mail Australia the extent of the disruptions are not yet clear.
'The burst water main was on Castlereagh Street. It caused a power outage in the Downing Centre and some neighbouring buildings,' they said.
'Downing Centre was evacuated as a precaution.
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