A SERIES of power cuts on a Hitchin road which have been ongoing for the past few months have been slammed by shop owners and residents, who have labelled them as “scandalous”.

During the past two months, there have been around 10 power cuts in the Walsworth Road area of Hitchin, despite no reported problems in the area before this time.

The blackouts usually last for a couple of hours, and are reported to usually start in the evenings.

“It’s absurd that in this day and age there can be that many power cuts in such a short period,” said Toby Shelley, who lives on the road.

“It’s often at peak times, around six or seven in the evening when people are just getting back from work and putting their dinner on.

“The thing that is annoying people and certainly myself, is that nothing seems to be done about it.

“We had problems over Christmas too, when my 85-year-old mother was visiting us.

“The danger to the old and disabled is obvious. How long before someone falls down stairs or sets a house on fire with a candle?”

Businesses in the area have also suffered as a result of the power failures, with one shop being forced to close when the blackouts hit.

“The cuts have affected our business,” said Mr Phgura, who is the manager of convenience shop S & K stores.

“It’s happening so regularly and it’s always at peak times, between about five and seven in the evening.

“We have had to shut the shop, which has had an impact on our takings.”

UK Power Networks, the company that distributes electricity to the area, said it was aware of the problems.

“We would like to apologise to customers in the Walsworth Road area of Hitchin, who experienced interruptions to their power supply in November and December,” said a spokesman.

“We do appreciate how frustrating it is to have repeat incidents and always do our best to restore supplies quickly.

“We have monitored the network in this area and designed a programme of work to upgrade underground cables and change substation equipment.

“Once the project details have been finalised, in liaison with the council, we will be able to start work so that we can ensure more reliable power supplies for customers.”