RELIEF is at hand for villagers plagued by power cuts over the past fortnight.Two pubs at Snape, as well as a number of homes, say they have been hit by problems with their power supplies, particularly in the early hours of the morning.

RELIEF is at hand for villagers plagued by power cuts over the past fortnight.

Two pubs at Snape, as well as a number of homes, say they have been hit by problems with their power supplies, particularly in the early hours of the morning. The latest was on Monday morning .

Power supplier 24seven said early indications were that the problems had been caused by an increase in supply demand in the area. As a result, they are hoping to reconfigure the network this week.

The Crown pub said they had been cut off three times, and they had to work with candles and a lamp in the kitchen until power was restored, and the Golden Key said it had also been affected.

"It certainly is a concern," said Max Kissick-Jones, licensee at the Golden Key. "We have had a succession of them. I think we have had about four cuts in a week. They occur in the early hours of the morning."

He felt the system could not cope with new housing going up in the area. It had been inconvenient because they needed electricity for the catering, although they had coped, he said.

"We are predominantly a catering house. Cooking starts from around six in the morning," he explained. "It becomes very difficult indeed. Luckily, it's not at the busiest time of the year. If this was the summer, I would be tearing my hair out."

Villager Jean Cowdrey estimated they had suffered six power cuts in two weeks and felt it was "beyond the pale".

"Because we have no gas in Snape, it makes life completely unbearable," she said. "They apologise and say they will send someone as soon as possible."

A spokesperson for 24seven said they hoped to carry out work this week to prevent further power cuts occurring.

"Apologies to those residents who have had their service interrupted," she said.