RESIDENTS and businesses told how they struggled after the power went off for a day in two separate incidents.

Some properties in West Bexington were without electricity for 17 hours due to works on a power line combined with additional repair work which caused the lengthy blackout.

A hotel was among the businesses affected.

Some people in the village were aware they would be without power after Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) contacted them to warn them of a planned outage on Monday of this week between 9am-2pm so workmen could remove tree branches surrounding a power line.

However it's understood not everyone got the message to say there would be work taking place.

As well as the planned work, there appears to have been a separate power cut in the afternoon which went on until the early hours.

Andrew Pearce, who lives in the village and runs Flying Frenzy Paragliding, said he received a text message alert the day before to warn of the outage - but said that many residents he spoke to were unaware.

He said: “It went off around 9am. The day before we received a text message from SSEN to inform us. They apparently sent letters to homeowners but the people I’ve spoken to don’t recall ever receiving them."

On the same day, SSEN were alerted to carry out "essential repairs" on pole mounted equipment at around 3pm.  

It subsequently wasn't until 2am the following morning that all power was restored.

Mr Pearce said: “It made communication very tricky for the business and the mobile signal here is so bad anyway. It was very difficult to do it effectively. My elderly mother lives next door and she didn’t have any way of heating up her food.

"My wife Kim, who makes curtains and cushions and sells online, was totally unable to work because we had no power."

Millie Symes, General Manager of The Manor House Hotel in West Bexington, said she feels power cuts have started to feel more frequent with this particular power outage causing the venue to lose a significant amount of business. 

She said: “A lot of local residents in the village, didn’t receive a warning but we did. We were told about it a few weeks ago and that it would only be until 4pm. However, it didn’t come back on until much later and we didn’t receive any update.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News: Manor House Hotel, West Bexington Picture: Colliers

“It really affected us and our in-house guests. We dealt with it as best as we could, but some guests decided not to stay with us because of this. So, it wasn’t ideal."

SSEN were unable to confirm details on this planned outage however, a spokesperson said customers are usually given a considerable period of notice to prepare for the time the power will be off.

The spokesperson added: "We were alerted to damage on pole mounted equipment in West Bexington, Dorset on Monday, March 18. 

“In order to carry out the required repairs as safely and as quickly as possible, engineers had to isolate the power supplies of around 100 customers in the area.

“All supplies were fully restored by 1.39am on Tuesday, March 19 and SSEN thanks customers for their patience while these essential repairs were carried out.”