8:30am Friday 3rd July 2009
By Matthew Jenkin
POWER cuts have sparked anger among restaurant owners who claim it is crippling their businesses.
According to EDF Energy, which supplies electricity to properties in Ladywell Road, Lewisham, there have been six power cuts in the area, since June 8.
The power was out for most of the afternoon and evening on Tuesday (June 30), causing busy restaurants and cafes on the road to shut and throw out food affected by the loss of refrigeration.
Now restaurant owners, supported by community group the Ladywell Village Improvement Group, have started a letter writing campaign demanding EDF compensate businesses affected by the cuts.
Krishna Gopal (corr), owner of Masons Bar Restaurant, in Ladywell Road, says he has lost around £7,500 as a result of the cuts.
He said: “It’s absoutely awful. The power went off on a Saturday and Tuesday night when we were fully booked and we had to turn customers away.
“It’s going to put me back financially and it’s really strangling me.
“To small businesses which are quite important to the community, it’s the difference between folding and not folding.
“If it’s happened once, then we can take it on the chin, but after five times it’s ridiculous.”
According to EDF Energy, because Ladywell Road customers have not yet experienced four or more power cuts, lasting more than three hours each, it cannot provide compensation.
A spokeswoman for the company says the loss of power was caused by a fault on an underground cable and repair work has already begun.
But Petra Reekers, who owns Cafe Oscar’s, in Ladywell Road, says she is angry at how long it took EDF Energy to address the problem, which caused her to lose around £200 worth of ice-cream.
She said: “If they knew there was a big problem, they could have done better and I’m absolutely sure three power cuts could have been prevented if they hadn’t had such a laid back approach.
“Every day I go to work and think, is the power working or not? It’s not good enough.”
EDF Energy has apologised to all the customers of Ladywell Road affected by the loss of power.
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