Businesses' power cut nightmare continues; No electricity for two weeks.

ANGRY businesses who have been without electricity for more than two weeks have formed a committee to fight their case.

More than 30 businesses on Aintree's Box Works Industrial Estate were plunged into darkness after a row over an unpaid bill.

The power was cut to all units at the estate without any warning after the businesses' landlord allegedly failed to pay a pounds 32,000 bill - despite firms paying their individual contributions.

Now the firms have formed the Box Works Committee in the hope of finding a solution.

Norma Fitzpatrick, committee secretary and member of CNN Car Services, said: "It's been horrendous, we had cars up on ramps when the power was cut.

"We own our own unit but pay service charges including the electricity. It's costing us thousands, we've had to pay for a generator which uses 600 litres of diesel every week.

"It's really noisy, we can't hear the telephone and working in a building without permanent electricity creates a really bad impression for customers.

"We were successfully coming through the recession and fighting until Christmas, but this is costing us money - I've heard some of the units have been forced out of business."

The committee yesterday met with EDF Energy representatives and today MP Jo Benton was due to visit the site to offer his help.

ACS Properties Ltd, which manages The Box Works, has been in dispute with EDF Energy since May.

In a letter sent to businesses this week dated November 16, an ACS spokesman said they had met with EDF Energy and "have managed to resolve our differences".

They claim an exceptional situation arose around contracts and invoices which led to the power being disconnected.

It reads: "We have today written to EDF accepting their offer and arranging a payment of pounds 31,952.33 to be paid. It is anticipated they will co-ordinate the switch back on within the next week to 14 days."

EDF Energy said they had not received any payment since June.

A spokesman said:"We fully understand the frustration this situation has caused to tenants and would like to express our sympathy for the disruption caused by ACS Properties Ltd's failure to pay their electricity bills to us. We appreciate how difficult it is to be without power."

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BY LAURA SHARPE [e-mail] The Box Works