Ute residents flee the scene after colliding with a utility pole in Hobart

The occupants of a car that crashed into a utility pole, leaving thousands without power overnight on Hobart’s east coast, have been charged with fleeing the scene before police arrived.

More than 1,000 properties in Howrah, Rokeby and Tranmere have been affected by an outage caused by a damaged pole on Droughty Point Road.

Police say “no one” was in the vehicle when they arrived on scene Monday just after 10 p.m.

“Tasmania Police is investigating the circumstances of the incident, which resulted in a male and female passenger in a vehicle leaving the scene before emergency services arrived,” a spokesman said.

“The police are investigating in a specific direction and the investigation is ongoing.”

“Anyone with information in relation to the incident is asked to contact Tasmania Police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers.”

Power was restored to most homes in the area late at night.