Salon made lightwork of power cut

On Monday, firms lost virtually a whole day’s trading as the electricity went off at the start of the working day and did not come back on until teatime.

Some kept a skeleton staff on site, banks closed their doors, but one dedicated team kept going by lamplight as some sockets were still working.

Staff at VIPZ hair salon made sure customers were not disappointed. “We were determined not to let anyone down and I am so proud of my girls for carrying on despite all the problems,” said manager Jade Foster.

Among businesses hit hard were Althams and Thomas Cook travel agencies, Lloyds TSB and HSBC banks and Peacocks. “We lost a whole day’s trading and that involves a lot of money,” said a Peacocks management spokesman.

And fears were stoked again on Tuesday when the power went down mid-morning.

Most Althams staff went to work at their Batley branch. Some stayed on at Thomas Cook, even though there was little they could do. Both Lloyds and HSBC had to close. Customers were advised to go to another branch or use ATMs. Lloyds did not reopen until 11.30am on Tuesday. At Peacocks, many staff went home at 2.30pm after managers struggled to pin down reconnection times.

VIPZ were lucky that only the main strip lights were affected. Sockets still worked so staff could use equipment.

Northern Powergrid said 37 properties in the Market Street area had been affected and that a permanent cable fault repair was done on Tuesday evening. A spokesman said: “We apologise to customers for any inconvenience, and thank people for their patience.”