A TRADER and residents were left feeling the cold this Christmas after their electri

Gill, 47, owns Pelham Street off licence in Blackburn said he had being having problems with the electricity for the past year and said it was having an effect on his business.

Today United Utilities said wanted to sort things out as quickly as it could to avoid any more problems for the people affected.

Mr Gill said: "It has happened about five times this year and each time the power goes off I have to close the shop because the till doesn't work.

A pensioner who lives on Pelham Street said he had also been left without electricity four four times in the space of a year. He said it was an inconvenience that he could well do without at this time of the year.

Walter Harrison, 76, said: "It is cold enough at this time of year without having to go without any heating. I haven't been able to have anything to eat because my cooker wasn't working.

"Everytime the power goes off we are left in the dark and are not informed of what is going on, it is very annoying."

Jennifer Ware, United Utilities spokeswoman, said: "There was a power cut on Wednesday night at around 9.40pm and then another on Thursday at 11am.

"We understand that the power cuts are an inconvenience to everybody but we try to put the problem right as soon as possible.

"It would be extremely unusual for the power cuts to happen again so many times in a year. If it was a permanent fault that didn't correct itself within a matter of hours then the area that causes the problem in the cable can be cut out, but this is not a permanent problem so that kind of action does not need to be taken.

"It was unfortunate that two power cuts occurred within the space of two days but they weren't connected in any way."