2:13pm Thursday 11th March 2010
By Rebecca Cain
FLACKWELL Heath residents were left without electricity from 3.30pm to midnight yesterday with some businesses being forced to close.
The power cut stretched from The Stag pub up to Swains Market with Magpie Close and part of Oakland Way without electricity.
The power loss was caused by a digger cutting through an underground cable at the development in Heath End Road.
Dal Singh, owner of Frackle Fryers, said he had to keep his business closed.
He said: “I couldn't go to work because I had no power there and couldn't turn on the extractor fan. There were house alarms going off left, right and centre.
“It was just very frustrating for everybody involved. The estate agents had to close early as did the newsagents.”
Duncan MacDonald, spokesman for Southern Electric, said: “We had a call from the contractors to alert us to the damage.
“Our staff went out as soon as they could and power was restored by 12.30am.”
He said 170 customers were affected by the blackout, adding power had to be switched off for the duration of the work.
Mr MacDonald advised anyone planning on doing underground work to contact the power company first.
He said: “We can send out maps of where cables are in the area to make sure there's no risk to people.”
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