Saudi Arabia is experiencing continued power cuts because of an increase in electricity use linked to the religious festival of Ramadan, according to press reports.

Power outages are said to have hit the city of Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea which is home to the Island Mosque (pictured), an official at the Saudi Electricity Company is reported to have said.

Abdul Moueen bin Hassan al-Sheikh, head of the firm’s western division said power use in Saudi’s second largest city had gone up since the start of the holy month by 8%.

Protests over the shortages in affected areas had slowed down their repair, he said, adding the firm had technicians working “24/7” to fix the problems.

However the source of the outages remains questionable after the official last week suggested electricity thefts – with people illegally tapping into the power network – are behind the outages in the oil-rich state.