AN ENERGY watchdog has called on United Utilities to solve a power problem that is affecting dozens of Darwen residents “as a matter of urgency”.

Homes in Westwell Street in the Birch Hall area have been blighted with power cuts since May, and as winter draws closer, many are worried about warmth and light.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s still a problem. The power has been going off all times of day and night.

“It’s getting ridiculous especially as winter is coming in. We don’t want to have to worry that we won’t have light or heat.

“I’m not so well either, so it’s very important. Something must be done soon.”

Audrey Gallacher, energy expert at Consumer Focus, said: “United Utilities need to leave no stone unturned to find the root cause of the power cuts in this area and resolve them as a matter of urgency.

“Consumers should be aware of their rights under the guaranteed standards of performance.

“These offer compensation to those who have been inconvenienced by repeated power cuts over the year.”

Consumer Focus say that if a consumer is without power for three hours or more, on four or more different occasions in any 12-month period (starting on April 1), they are entitled to a payment.

However, United Utilities, which is reponsible for repairing faults in the area, say that power cuts happening now are unconnected to those in May.

Shaun Robinson from United Utilities said: “The most recent problems in the Darwen area are not connected to earlier power cuts in May.

“The difficultly has been trying to find an intermittent fault on Darwen’s local network.

“The good news is following inquiries our engineers believe they can now carry out a repair.

“Customers will be notified when this work will start as we need to interrupt supply to complete the fix.”