A POWER cut that lasted 10 hours and affected nearly 200 homes and businesses has left traders fuming.

The lights went off for 197 customers in St John Street, Finsbury, at 10am last Tuesday and did not come back on until 9pm, with no explanation forthcoming from the supplier.

The Old Red Lion Theatre in St John Street had to cancel the evening performance, but managed keep the pub open by using candles and torches. Manager Martin Race, said: “We lost a lot of customers – The Spurs versus Real Madrid match was on that night and we couldn’t show it. Considering the score, we won’t get many for the second leg.”

Toma Masionyte, a waitress at the Angel Inn, in St John Street, said: “The electricity company gave no explanation and kept saying they would fix it in an hour – but they never did. In the end we lost nearly a day’s business.”

The owner of Bliss Patisserie in St John Street said: “We are a small business and without power we had to shut the shop and go home.

“The sub station serving this area has a history of malfunctioning and it has never been rectified.”

A spokesman for UK Power Networks, which supplies power to the area, said: “The company would like to apologise for the disruption this incident caused and thank customers for their patience while staff worked to rectify the problem.”