'Company shut off my pub's power and didn't tell me'

A pub owner says he was forced to shut his business and send staff home after an unannounced power cut plunged his venue into darkness.

Nigel Farnfield, who runs The Olive Tree in Sutton Green, Surrey, said the closure came during a "very difficult economic climate" and followed earlier disruption from nearby waterworks.

He said staff lost wages, some food had to be thrown away and bookings were cancelled, adding: "We need that money, it is our livelihood."

UK Power Networks apologised and said: "Regrettably an admin error resulted in them not being notified in advance of the planned power cut, and we are sending them a payment due to the inconvenience caused."

The landlord said he only learned about the outage on 19 May from a local WhatsApp group the day before, despite rules requiring at least 48 hours' notice.

He said that staff had "wasted journeys in" and "lost a day's wages", as well as spending money on fuel.

Farnfield also criticised earlier road closures linked to waterworks by Affinity Water, which he said affected trade around the early May bank holiday.

He said signage was "appalling" and did not make clear that the business remained open during the works.

Affinity Water has been approached for comment.

Farnfield said UK Power Network's compensation did not change the "overwhelming inconsideration".

He added: "In the grand scheme of things, it's a drop in the ocean, but it's appalling that we can be treated that way by the bigger companies.

"I fully understand that roads need repairing and power infrastructure needs maintaining.

"What I do not understand is how small independent businesses are expected to survive when utility companies can effectively shut us down with little communication."

He said if the power cut had happened at the same time the following week "a family would not have been able to have their wake".

"The world doesn't work on 48 hours' notice - some professional etiquette would go a long way," he added.

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