RESIDENTS are demanding answers today after hundreds were left without power on several occasions.Power blackouts have been experienced in both the Maidenhall area of Ipswich and the Belle Vue Road area due to separate faults with the electricity supply.

RESIDENTS are demanding answers today after hundreds were left without power on several occasions.

Power blackouts have been experienced in both the Maidenhall area of Ipswich and the Belle Vue Road area due to separate faults with the electricity supply.

Today a spokeswoman from EDF Energy apologised to customers and said its engineers are working to resolve the problems.

Power was disrupted for 1,700 customers in the Belle Vue Road area at about 10.30pm on December 11 as a result of an underground cable fault.

Another 18 people in the Maidenhall area were also affected in another incident this week.

Marion Newell, who lives in Belle Vue Road, said: “It was the third power cut this year. The power was out from 10.30pm to 3am.

“We have now got problems with the kitchen lights and internet access. It seems to happen a lot more now and it is very annoying.”

Another resident on the street, Fiona Ominiabohs, said: “It keeps happening. Something should be done about it.”

A spokeswoman for EDF Energy said: “Power was restored in stages, and to the final 461 customers affected at 3.15am on December 12.”

There were also problems in the Maidenhall area, principally Flint Close, Maidenhall Approach and Conway Close, caused by a fault on an underground electricity cable. The power was down for 18 people at 6pm on Monday and a further 492 customers were also affected for a few minutes later that night so that engineers could fix the problem safely.

Thomas Richardson, 73, of Conway Close, said the power cuts are a concern for him and his disabled wife Mary.

He said: “We never had this many blackouts in the war. I am worried about my wife because she was on her own when the power went and left her in the dark.”

John Versey, of Flint Close, added: “They said there was a fault in the substation but that doesn't help you when you are cold and sitting in the dark. It is annoying as they don't seem to attempt to fix the problem. It is beyond a joke.”

Have you had a lot of power cuts in your area? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.

A spokeswoman said: “This fault [in the Belle Vue Road area] had proved particularly difficult to trace. However our engineers located the fault on Monday, have carried out excavation work on site, and are currently carrying out repair work.

“We have received reports of low volts, and would like to reassure customers that this will be resolved by the repair.

“EDF Energy Networks would like to apologise to some customers in the Maidenhall area of Ipswich for the recent power failures

“We do appreciate how inconvenient it is to be without power, especially at this time of year.

“EDF Energy Networks is constantly working to improve the performance of our network and to meet future needs for power. The company's £400m investment in its electricity networks this year (2008/09) is part of a projected investment of approximately £2billion over the five years to 2010.”